Appeals Judge Hood Named To Supreme Court; Bazzi, Trebilcock, Korobkin Names To COA

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/23/2025) Court of Appeals Judge Noah Hood was appointed on Wednesday to succeed former Justice Elizabeth Clement on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who appointed Hood to the appeals court in 2022 and Detroit’s 3rd Circuit Court in 2019, said Hood will bring “important perspectives” to the high court.

"I have had the distinct honor of serving the people of the state of Michigan for the past six years," Hood said. “I am deeply grateful to our Governor for her decision to appoint me to serve on our Supreme Court. I am also grateful for what it represents. For as long as I serve, the people will always be able to count on me for even-handed justice."

Hood’s move to the Supreme Court, which now has a 6-1 Democratic-nomination majority, also allowed Whitmer an opportunity to elevate Wayne County Circuit Judge Mariam BAZZI to fill Hood’s Court of Appeals 1st District seat. She is the first Arab-American woman in Michigan’s history to be appointed to the Court of Appeals.

In addition, Whitmer appointed Clark Hill partner Christopher Trebilcock and ACLU’s legal director, Daniel Korobkin, to the Court of Appeals 2nd and 3rd districts, respectively.

Prior to Hood’s 2019 appointment, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Michigan’s Health Care Fraud Unit where he prosecuted fraud and opioid-related offenses involving medical professionals, according to a March 2022 Third Judicial Circuit Court of Michigan newsletter.

The Detroiter, who is a 2008 Yale University graduate who earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 2011, also worked as an assistant attorney general in the Northern District of Ohio where he focused on prosecuting white-collar crime as well as money laundering and public corruption.

Prior to his federal service, Hood was a litigation associate at Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, where he was recognized for his pro bono work on nuisance abatement in Detroit, according to the court’s newsletter.

Hood received a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Secret Service in December 2018 and a U.S. Treasury FinCEN Director’s Law Enforcement Award in May 2018, according to his LinkedIn page.

Hood is the son of pastor Nicholas Hood III and federal court judge Denise Page Hood. He is also the nephew of the late political commentator and consultant Steve Hood and the nephew of the late appellate court judge Karen Fort Hood.

Clement, who was appointed in 2017 by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, left the bench this month to serve as president of the National Center for State Courts, a job that pays nearly twice that of a Michigan Supreme Court justice’s salary.

New COA Judges

Whitmer called Bazzi, who was twice re-elected to the bench since first being appointed by Snyder in 2017, a “trailblazer, community leader and proud Michigander” who brings years of experience to the appellate bench.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to be appointed by Governor Whitmer to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals," Bazzi said. "I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Governor and her dedicated selection team for their time, effort, and commitment throughout this process.

“It is a profound privilege to serve the people of this great state, and I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the fair and impartial administration of justice,” she added.

Bazzi serves on the board of Leaders Advancing and Helping Communities and is also a member of multiple state and national legal associations, including the Detroit Bar Association, the Michigan Judges Association, the National Association of Women Judges, the National Arab American Bar Association and the National Association of Muslim Lawyers.

Trebilcock’s private law practice works in the areas of employment litigation, administrative litigation, traditional labor law and election law.

Prior to joining Clark Hill in 2018, he practiced at Miller Canfield for more than 10 years. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s Developing Labor Law Committee and the Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee.

“As a proud Yooper, I am deeply honored to accept this appointment,” said Trebilcock, the first appeals appointee born and raised in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. “The values I learned from my upbringing and education – service, integrity, and critical thinking – have guided me throughout my career.”

Korobkin joined the ACLU as a staff attorney in 2008, and he served as deputy legal director for five years before being named legal director in 2019. He has led legal efforts on press civil rights and civil liberties issues in the state, including juvenile justice reform, freedom of speech, government transparency and accountability, public education and LGBTQ rights.

He also serves as co-chair of the Michigan State Bar’s Access to Justice Policy Committee and is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s representative assembly.

Korobkin, who is a Yale Law School graduate, said he is “humbled and honored by this incredible opportunity for public service.”

Bazzi will fill Hood’s partial term while Trebilcock and Korobkin were appointed to fill the partial terms of Judge Mark Cavanagh and Jane Markey, respectively.