Noah P. Hood, a Michigan Supreme Court justice appointed in 2025, is running to keep his seat in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election.
Six candidates are competing for two eight-year seats on the statewide nonpartisan ballot. Voters may choose up to two candidates, according to Michigan’s official candidate list.
Hood responded to the Plymouth-Canton Post candidate questionnaire on Oct. 5. Unless otherwise noted, the information and responses below come from that questionnaire.
Asked why he is running, Hood said he wants “to continue serving as a fair, independent, and steady voice on the Court.”
“My approach has always been guided by a commitment to facts and impartiality, while working to ensure that every person who enters a courtroom is treated with dignity, respect, and fairness,” he said.
Candidate information
Background: Hood said he was born and raised in Detroit.
Education: Hood earned an undergraduate degree in anthropology from Yale University and a law degree from Harvard Law School. He also graduated from Detroit’s Cass Technical High School, according to the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society.
Family: “I am fortunate to have a loving wife and two children,” Hood said.
Party nomination: Hood was nominated by the Michigan Democratic Party. The Supreme Court election is nonpartisan.
Family in public service: Hood said his father, the Rev. Nicholas Hood III, served on the Detroit City Council and as senior minister at Plymouth United Church of Christ. His mother, Denise Page Hood, is a federal judge.
“Growing up immersed in public service, faith, and a commitment to justice shaped my understanding of what it means to serve with integrity and independence,” he said.
Experience and public service
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Hood’s appointment to the Supreme Court on April 23, 2025, according to the governor’s office.
He began serving on May 27, 2025, according to the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society. His appointed term ends Dec. 31, 2026.
Before joining the Supreme Court, Hood served on the Michigan Court of Appeals, where he was appointed and then elected in 2022. He previously served on Wayne County’s Third Judicial Circuit Court from 2019 to 2022.
His trial court work included presiding over felony cases and the Veterans Treatment Court.
Before becoming a judge, Hood worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Ohio and the Eastern District of Michigan.
On the issues
Access to justice: Hood identified financial, language and informational barriers as challenges that can prevent people from fully accessing the courts.
He said the Supreme Court can address those barriers through its administrative responsibilities, including clear procedures, adequate resources and support for problem-solving courts.
“Every person who enters a courtroom deserves to be treated with dignity, respect and a full opportunity to be heard based on facts and the law,” he said.
Public trust and impartiality: Hood said courts must manage caseloads while maintaining public confidence.
“I will keep deciding cases based on the law, the facts, and precedent, not personal preference, so Michiganders can trust that our courts remain fair, efficient, and accessible to all,” he said.
Veterans and problem-solving courts: Hood cited his experience presiding over Wayne County’s Veterans Treatment Court as preparation for his current role.
He described working with attorneys, service providers and community partners to address participants’ individual circumstances.
“That experience reinforced my belief that the justice system can be both compassionate and effective when it addresses the root causes of justice involved individuals,” he said.
Hood said he now serves as a Supreme Court co-liaison to Michigan’s problem-solving courts.
What sets him apart: Hood emphasized his experience as a trial judge, appellate judge and Supreme Court justice.
He said that background helps him understand how rulings affect people and the courts handling their cases.
“My approach has always been guided by facts and impartiality, not a predetermined outcome, and to treat every person who enters a courtroom with dignity and respect,” he said.
Endorsements
Hood’s confirmed 2026 endorsements include:
Other candidates
The other candidates are Megan Kathleen Cavanagh, Thomas W. Howe, Casandra Morse-Bills, Michael Warren and Jody White, according to official state election records.
Advice that guides him
Hood said advice from then-Deputy Attorney General James Cole during his orientation as a federal prosecutor has stayed with him.
Cole reminded the new prosecutors that their work would bring them into contact with people experiencing some of the worst days of their lives, Hood recalled.
“Every aspect of that mandate has held true for every job I have had since then,” Hood said. “It is an ethic I try to maintain on our highest court.”
This profile draws primarily on Noah P. Hood’s responses to the Plymouth-Canton Post candidate questionnaire, with additional information from official state election records, the governor’s office, the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society and endorsing organizations. Responses have been excerpted and paraphrased; direct quotations retain his wording.
