Chief Justice Elizabeth T. Clement joined the Michigan Supreme Court in November 2017 and became Chief Justice in November 2022. Clement, a 2024 Rodel Fellow, serves on the National Center for State Courts Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) on the following committees: Courts, Children, and Families; Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform (CLEAR); and Public Engagement, Trust, and Confidence. She is the current chair of the Michigan Judicial Council, and previously served on the Governor’s Task Force on Juvenile Justice.
Prior to being elected Chief Justice by her colleagues, she served as the Court’s co-liaison on child welfare matters and liaison to the Michigan Judicial Institute. Before joining the bench, Clement served as chief legal counsel, and deputy legal counsel before that, to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, advising him on a wide variety of legal, legislative, and policy matters. She also previously held the positions of cabinet secretary and deputy chief of staff in the Governor's Office. Clement served as legal counsel to the Michigan Senate in 2010, and as a legal advisor from 2006 to 2010 in the Senate Majority Policy Office. She began her legal career in private practice representing individuals in the areas of family law, adoption, probate, estate planning, and criminal law. She earned her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University and her law degree from Michigan State University College of Law. Chief Justice Clement lives with her husband and children in East Lansing.