Weaver voted out as chief justice of state's conservative Supreme Court

By Louie Meizlish

Daily Staff Reporter

The seven justices of the Michigan Supreme Court decided yesterday in a 6-1 vote to replace Chief Justice Elizabeth Weaver with Justice Maura Corrigan as the court's leader for the next two years. Weaver was the only dissenting vote.

"I am deeply honored by the Court's decision and pledge to uphold the high standards of public service established by my predecessors," Corrigan, who was first elected to the court in 1998, said in a written statement.

"I was the chief justice of the Michigan Court of Appeals and had a record of building consensus among people of different views ... and I foresee that will continue," she said in a telephone interview yesterday.

Since Republicans gained a majority, the court has been peppered with allegations from various groups that it is partial to the interests of big business and that it is a tool of Gov. John Engler.

Corrigan, one of five Republican justices, said she hoped that view would change.

"My goal is to remove the public perception that the courthouse is political. We need to defuse that notion," Corrigan said.

Representatives from various groups, both those that have been opposed to the court's recent decisions and those that have been supportive, said they don't expect much to change under Corrigan's leadership.

"I think Justice Corrigan represents the interests of large insurance companies and corporations," Michigan Democratic Party spokesman Dennis Denno said.

"She may be a new face, but the special interests that control this court haven't changed," Denno said. "There's been an overwhelming number of cases that go in favor of large corporations and against Michigan families."

When asked whether he would prefer Corrigan or Weaver as chief justice, Denno responded, "It doesn't really matter."

But Rich Studley, senior vice president of government relations for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, held Corrigan in a higher regard. "We think very highly of Justice Corrigan and believe she will do a good job as chief justice. We know her to be a very capable and hard-working jurist," he said. "We also think highly of Justice Weaver."

Sage Eastman, spokesman for the Michigan Republican Party - which strongly supports jurists it deems to be strict constructionists - echoed positive views. "I think it's a good choice. Justice Corrigan is a highly respected justice who holds the law in the highest regard."

Eastman said Corrigan "is someone who makes sure the court is interpreting the law, not writing the law. ... For nearly fifty years the liberals dominated the courts and they would rewrite the laws."

With regards to upholding civil rights, the Michigan branch of the American Civil Liberties Union has an unfavorable view of Corrigan.

"Our concern with the Michigan Supreme Court is its clear ideological bent that clearly disfavors civil rights and we don't expect that to change under Chief Justice Corrigan," said Kary Moss, executive director of the Michigan ACLU. "The court has weakened the Fourth Amendment."

Moss cited "a whole number of decisions that limit individuals' access to the court for damages - such as in injuries."