Author: Giacomo Bologna

Five candidates seeking to be the next Washtenaw County probate judge answered questions about themselves, probate law and general judicial philosophy at a candidate forum held July 7, 2014. Jane Bassett, Tamara Garwood, Constance Jones, Tracy Van den Bergh and recently appointed judge Julia Owdziej will appear on the Aug. 5 primary ballot. The non-partisan primary will narrow the race to two candidates for the Nov. 4 general election. Owdziej was appointed to the seat by Gov. Rick Snyder just last month, on June 2, to fill the vacancy on the court left by Nancy Wheeler’s retirement. [Full Story]

Last Monday, three candidates vying to fill a vacancy on Washtenaw’s 22nd circuit court participated in a League of Women Voters forum. Pat Conlin, Mike Woodyard and Veronique Liem will compete in the non-partisan Aug. 5 primary, which will advance the top two candidates to the Nov. 4 general election. Conlin and Liem are local attorneys while Woodyard works in the Wayne County prosecutor’s office. At the July 7 forum, the candidates fielded questions covered topics including: family, the visibility of the court and general judicial philosophy. [Full Story]