This second edition of the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Reference Guide contains the biographies of Michigan Supreme Court's justices from its territorial beginnings in 1803 through 2015. It includes summaries of twenty top cases of the Michigan Supreme Court, which contextualize the eras in which the justices were on the bench, giving a greater depth of understanding to both who the justices were and the historical significance of the cases they decided. A rich reference for historians and attorneys, this book also includes valuable charts detailing election dates and candidates as well as court compositions (who served with whom); lists of chief justices and the ten longest--and shortest--serving justices with dates of service; and a history of the structural evolution of the Michigan Supreme Court.

The History of Michigan Law offers the first serious survey of Michigan's rich legal past. Michigan was among the first states to admit African-Americans and women to its law schools and was the first governmental entity to abolish the death penalty. Additionally, the state, unlike its midwestern neighbors, did not enact racial exclusion laws in the post-Civil War era. Michigan has also played a leading role in developing modern rape laws, in protecting the environment, and in assuring the right to counsel for those accused of crimes. The story of Michigan's legal development includes high profile cases such as the Dr. Ossian Sweet murder trial, the cross-district busing case Milliken v. Bradley, and the affirmative action cases brought against the University of Michigan Law School.The History of Michigan Law documents and analyzes, as well, Michigan legal develpments in environmental history, civil rights, and women's history. This book will serve as the entry point for all future studies that involve the law in Michigan. With 2005 marking the bicentennial of the establishment of the Michigan Supreme Court, as well as the bicentennial of the creation of the Michigan Territory, The History of Michigan Law has appeal beyond the legal community to scholars and students of American history. ABOUT THE EDITORS---Martin Hershock is an associate professor of history at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. He is author of The Paradox of Progress: Economic Change, Individual Enterprise and Political Culture in Michigan, 1837-1878 (Ohio, 2003) Paul Finkelman is Chapman Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tulsa College of Law. He is the author of many articles and books, including His Soul Goes Marching On: Responses to John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid and the Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference.

Reproduced from typewritten copy.