--- title: "Megan K. Cavanagh | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-k-cavanagh-mi-chief-justice-michigan-supreme-court" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Megan K. Cavanagh Michigan Supreme Court · Chief Justice ## Profile - Court: Michigan Supreme Court - State: Michigan - Role: Chief Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - On April 15, 2025, she was elected Chief Justice by her colleagues following the resignation of Elizabeth Clement, becoming the first person to serve on the court alongside a parent since 1857 - Her father, Michael Cavanagh, held the role of a Michigan Supreme Court Justice and Chief Justice, and her uncle, Jerome Cavanagh, was the 64th mayor of Detroit ### Education - Wayne State University Law School in — J.D. (2000) - Her academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1993 ### Additional information - Cavanagh is running for re-election to the Michigan Supreme Court in the general election on November 3, 2026, having advanced from the Democratic convention earlier in April 2026 - Cavanagh won election to the Michigan Supreme Court in November 2018, assuming office on January 1, 2019. - Megan Kathleen Cavanagh was born on July 17, 1971, in Lansing, Michigan, and raised in East Lansing in a family deeply involved in Michigan politics. - She received 25.2% of the vote, unseating incumbent Kurtis T. Wilder, and was endorsed by the Democratic Party, though the court is officially nonpartisan. - She also served in leadership roles within the State Bar of Michigan, among them Chair of the Appellate Practice Section and co-chair of the Michigan Bench Bar Appellate Conference Foundation, and was a member of the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission - She also served in leadership roles within the State Bar of Michigan, including Chair of the Appellate Practice Section and co-chair of the Michigan Bench Bar Appellate Conference Foundation, and was a member of the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission - Before joining the bench, Cavanagh practiced appellate law for over 15 years in Detroit, becoming a shareholder at Garan Lucow Miller, P.C. She specialized in appellate cases and earned recognition as one of Michigan’s Super Lawyers. - As Chief Justice, Cavanagh serves as the Supreme Court Liaison to Tribal Courts, the Michigan Judicial Council, the Michigan State Bar Foundation, and Judicial Security. - She has championed initiatives to improve child welfare outcomes, strengthen legal representation for families, and enhance collaboration with tribal courts. - She emphasizes accessibility, transparency, and fairness in Michigan’s judicial system - Cavanagh resides in metro Detroit with her husband and four children. - She balances her judicial responsibilities with family life and caregiving for her mother, reflecting a commitment to both public service and personal responsibilities ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### videoconferencing Scope: statewide Michigan courts may determine the manner and extent of videoconferencing technology, subject to participant requests and suitability factors under MCR 2.407. Evidence excerpt: courts may determine the manner and extent of the use of videoconferencing technology and may require participants to attend court proceedings by videoconferencing technology [Michigan Court Rule 2.407, Videoconferencing](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-2-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2.htm?rhtocid=_2) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### remote access notice Scope: statewide If a Michigan proceeding will be held by videoconferencing technology, the court must provide reasonable notice of how to access it. Evidence excerpt: If a proceeding will be held using videoconferencing technology, the court must provide reasonable notice of the way(s) to access that proceeding. [Michigan Court Rule 2.407, Videoconferencing](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-2-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2.htm?rhtocid=_2) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Michigan prohibits photography, audio or video recording, broadcasting, or live streaming in a courtroom unless allowed by the presiding judge, subject to the separate media-coverage order. Evidence excerpt: In a courtroom, no one may use a portable electronic device to take photographs or for audio or video recording, broadcasting, or live streaming unless that use is specifically allowed by the Judge presiding over that courtroom. [Michigan Court Rule 8.115, Courthouse Decorum and Portable Electronic Devices](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-8-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8.htm?rhtocid=_25) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### device use Scope: statewide Michigan allows courtroom use of portable electronic devices for information retrieval, storage, internet access, and messaging, but requires silence and bars calls or other audible functions without court permission. Evidence excerpt: Attorneys, parties, and members of the public may use a portable electronic device in a courtroom to retrieve or to store information (including notetaking), to access the Internet, and to send and receive text messages or information. [Michigan Court Rule 8.115, Courthouse Decorum and Portable Electronic Devices](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-8-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8.htm?rhtocid=_25) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/49052f/siteassets/publications/benchbooks/jdq/jdqresponsivehtml5.zip/JDQ/Cover_and_Acknowledgments/Michigan_Supreme_Court.htm?rhtocid=_0_1) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/49052f/siteassets/publications/benchbooks/jdq/jdqresponsivehtml5.zip/JDQ/Cover_and_Acknowledgments/Michigan_Supreme_Court.htm?rhtocid=_0_1) - [Michigan Judicial Branch official judicial roster](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/49052f/siteassets/publications/benchbooks/jdq/jdqresponsivehtml5.zip/JDQ/Cover_and_Acknowledgments/Michigan_Supreme_Court.htm?rhtocid=_0_1) - [Michigan Court Rule 2.407, Videoconferencing](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-2-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2/Court_Rules_Chapter_2.htm?rhtocid=_2) - [Michigan Court Rule 8.115, Courthouse Decorum and Portable Electronic Devices](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-8-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8.htm?rhtocid=_25) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-k-cavanagh-mi-chief-justice-michigan-supreme-court", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-k-cavanagh-mi-chief-justice-michigan-supreme-court", "name": "Megan K. Cavanagh | KnowJudges", "description": "Megan K. Cavanagh, Michigan Supreme Court. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-07", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-k-cavanagh-mi-chief-justice-michigan-supreme-court#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-k-cavanagh-mi-chief-justice-michigan-supreme-court#judge", "name": "Megan K. 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Cavanagh", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/megan-k-cavanagh-mi-chief-justice-michigan-supreme-court" } ] } ] } ``` ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Michigan Court Rule 8.115, Courthouse Decorum and Portable Electronic Devices](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-2f4be1384a246c5cc0b6bc97) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/court-rules-book-ch-8-responsive-html5.zip/Court_Rules_Book_Ch_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8/Court_Rules_Chapter_8.htm?rhtocid=_25). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Michigan Court Rules — Supreme Court proceedings](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-c5366813e2974272ee2e2f40) — Michigan Supreme Court proceedings only; retained September 2, 2026 compilation. Source exceptions and later amendments apply. [Official source](https://www.courts.michigan.gov/siteassets/rules-instructions-administrative-orders/michigan-court-rules/michigan-court-rules.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.