Whitmer appoints new judge to Michigan Court of Appeals serving Southwest Michigan

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has appointed Andrew Lievense to the Michigan Court of Appeals, First District, a court that hears appeals affecting residents in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties.

Lievense, of Northville, currently serves as an assistant U.S. attorney. He previously worked as a litigation associate at Honigman LLP in Detroit and clerked for U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn.

The Michigan Court of Appeals is the state’s intermediate appellate court, reviewing decisions from trial courts across the state. The First District includes counties across West and Southwest Michigan, including Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Branch, Calhoun, Cass, Ionia, Kent, Lake, Mason, Mecosta, Montcalm, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola, Ottawa and Van Buren counties.

“I am honored to serve the people of Michigan as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals, and grateful to Governor Whitmer for the responsibility she has entrusted to me,” Lievense said in a statement.

Lievense replaces Judge Kirsten Frank Kelly, who resigned before the end of her term. Kelly had served on the Court of Appeals since 2015 after previously serving on the Wayne County Circuit Court.

Lievense will serve the remainder of Kelly’s term, which expires at noon on Jan. 1, 2027. He will need to run for election to remain on the bench beyond that date.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in politics and government and Spanish from Ohio Wesleyan University and a law degree from the University of Michigan. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan’s U.S. Courts Committee and a past president of the Federal Bar Association, and has volunteered with organizations including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Detroit.