Brian K. Zahra
Encyclopedia
Brian K. Zahra is a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Supreme Court
The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...

.

Zahra attended Wayne State University
Wayne State University
Wayne State University is a public research university located in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in the city's Midtown Cultural Center Historic District. Founded in 1868, WSU consists of 13 schools and colleges offering more than 400 major subject areas to over 32,000 graduate and...

 and worked his way through by opening a health and beauty-aid store in downtown Detroit, which he expanded into a full grocery store. He subsequently graduated from the University of Detroit School of Law in 1987, and then clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Zatkoff. He also served as a Wayne County Circuit Court judge from 1994-98. Zahra was thereafter appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals
Michigan Court of Appeals
The Michigan Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court of the state of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, and commenced operations in 1965...

 by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Governor John Engler
John Engler
John Mathias Engler is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He served as the 46th Governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003....

 in 1999. Among his past rulings, in 2007 Zahra was a member of the three-judge appeals panel that unanimously held that Michigan's ban against gay marriage blocked public universities and governments from providing health insurance benefits to the partners of gay workers.

In naming Zahra, Governor Snyder stated "Brian has a tremendous record. He served for 16 years on the bench, both on the Court of Appeals and in Wayne County. ... He's a rule-of-law judge, which was one of our key criteria, and he's recognized for being one of the hardest working people in the state of Michigan with respect to the judiciary."

The appointment means Republican nominees will maintain a 4-3 majority on the court. Michigan Democratic Party
Michigan Democratic Party
The Michigan Democratic Party is the state-level party of the United States Democratic Party in Michigan. It is based in Lansing. Mark Brewer is the current Party Chair.-Current officeholders:...

 Chairman Mark Brewer
Mark Brewer (Michigan Democrat)
Mark Brewer is the Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, chair of the Democratic Party's Association of State Party Chairs and a superdelegate. On May 31, 2008, he proposed that the Democratic National Committee Rules and Bylaws Committee seat the Michigan delegates to the 2008 Democratic...

 issued a statement describing Zahra as an "extremist judge who will protect insurance companies and corporations."
But former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer
Dennis Archer
Dennis Wayne Archer is an American lawyer and politician from Michigan. A Democrat, Archer served on the Michigan Supreme Court and as mayor of Detroit...

, a Democrat, worked with Zahra at the Dickinson Wright
Dickinson Wright
Dickinson Wright PLLC , is a law firm based in Detroit, Michigan. It is one of the city's oldest firms, having been founded in 1878....

 law firm and considers him an "outstanding and fair-minded judge."

Zahra was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court
Michigan Supreme Court
The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is known as Michigan's "court of last resort" and consists of seven justices who are elected to eight-year terms. Candidates are nominated by political parties and are elected on a nonpartisan ballot...

 on January 11, 2011 by Governor Rick Snyder to replace Maura Corrigan who was in turn appointed to head the Michigan Department of Human Services
Michigan Department of Human Services
The Michigan Department of Human Services is the agency of state of Michigan, headquartered in Lansing, that provides public assistance, child and family welfare services...

. Zahra, 51, of Northville Township
Northville Township, Michigan
Northville Township, or The Charter Township of Northville, is a charter township of Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb in Metro Detroit. The population was 28,497 at the 2010 census....

will need to stand for election in November, 2012 to retain the position.
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