Michigan Justice Kyra Harris Bolden has made history by becoming the first black woman to serve on the Michigan State Supreme Court. Appointed in 2022, this 36-year-old jurist from Detroit successfully won her position in the November elections.
Justice Kyra Harris Bolden joined the Michigan Supreme Court on January 1, 2023, when she was appointed by Governor Whitmer, making her the first Black woman to serve as a Justice. A graduate of Southfield Public Schools, Justice Bolden chose to remain in Michigan for her studies, receiving her bachelor’s degree from Grand Valley State University and Juris Doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law.
While serving as a state representative in the Michigan House of Representatives, Bolden advocated for Michiganders as a member of the Judiciary Committee and focused her work on criminal justice reform and crafting and passing bipartisan legislation to protect survivors of sexual violence. Justice Bolden successfully passed pieces of critical bipartisan legislation into law, including the “Medically Frail” Prison Reform package, the revision of the Wrongful Imprisonment Compensation Act, and the “Address Confidentiality for Survivors of Domestic Violence” package.
Justice Bolden has a deep respect for the law and has seen the depth and breadth of law in her years of practice and lawmaking. After becoming a member of the State Bar, Justice Bolden practiced as a criminal defense attorney. She then served as a Judicial Law Clerk in Wayne County’s Third Circuit Court under the Honorable John A. Murphy. As a Judicial Law Clerk, Justice Bolden performed legal research, made recommendations to Judge Murphy on legal interpretation based upon relevant case law, and drafted opinions on a myriad of civil issues. She then practiced as a civil litigation attorney with Lewis & Munday, P.C., in several practice areas before joining the Michigan Legislature in 2019.
Alongside her daily work, Justice Bolden is an active member of her community, serving as a member of the Oakland County Bar Association, Wolverine Bar Association, Straker Bar Association, the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, National Congress of Black Women-Oakland County, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Justice Bolden has also received several awards, including the 2019 Detroit Association of Women’s Clubs, Inc. “Young Women Lifting As We Climb Image Award,” the 2019 African American Leadership Awards “Emerging Leader Award,” a 2020 Michigan Chronicle “40 Under 40 Award,” 2021 “Legislative Economic Development Champion Award,” and the 2021 Michigan Credit Union League “Legislator of the Year Award.”
Source: courts.michigan.gov
