FeedsSlavens tapped for judgeship
Lawyer, school board vice president and two-time state legislature hopeful Mark Slavens has a new title: Judge.
Slavens, 52, was appointed 3rd circuit court judge Monday afternoon by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
“It was very exciting and I’m very honored. Probably the highest honor an attorney can have is to be appointed judge,” he said.
The vice president of the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools Board of Education said he will resign from his seat before taking the bench.
“(The appointment) means I have to step down, so I’ll be stepping down May 8,” he said.
Slavens will also leave the private practice he has operated since 1985 in Livonia. On May 14, he is scheduled to begin his work as judge, succeeding Maggie Drake, who resigned Jan. 1.
The longtime defense attorney said he had applied to be considered for future judgeship vacancies and was surprised when he received the news Friday afternoon.
“It’s my understanding that over 100 people applied for that position so the chances for getting that are slim.”
A resignation sets into motion a replacement process that involves a review of applications on file and interviews of potential designates with the Judicial Qualifications Committee at the State Bar of Michigan, according to Michelle Begnoche, spokesperson for the Governor’s office.
“People can apply for these appointments whether there’s a vacancy or not,” she said.
Slavens was in the middle of a school board re-election campaign when the appointment was handed down. It is too late to withdraw his name from the ballot.
“My name will be on the ballot for May 8th election, and people have the right to vote for whoever they want to,” he said. “If I was elected (the board) then would pick a person to fill that position for a year” until the next election, he said.
While the process to replace Drake was underway in January, Slavens did not discuss his application for an appointment in an interview this month with the Journal Newspapers. In a questionnaire response to the Journal editorial board regarding political aspirations, Slavens wrote, “My focus at the current time is on the Plymouth-Canton School Board.”
The appointment at the 3rd Circuit Court, which serves Wayne County, will last until the term expires Jan. 1, 2009.
