Michael D. Warren Jr. (Michigan)

The public’s understanding of the Constitution, American History, and civics is sorely lacking and desperately needs to be addressed. As a free people, we must understand the foundations of our freedoms and liberty, or they will be lost. I have worked for three decades to better educate the people and renew the spirit of America through my service on the State Board of Education, co-founding Patriot Week (www.PatriotWeek.org), my book America's Survival Guide, How to Stop America's Impending Suicide by Reclaiming Our First Principles and History (www.AmericasSurvivalGuide.com), and writing and hosting the Patriot Lessons: American History & Civics Podcast and Patriot Lessons TV Show. I have helped develop the Social Studies Standards for Michigan, and produced many educational videos, lesson plans, and similar resources. During jury selection I explain the historical and current importance of jury duty. I have dedicated my life to preserving our republic.

In addition, the proper role of the judiciary is extraordinarily important and neglected by many. John Adams explained the Founders' sentiments when he wrote that good government and the very definition of a republic "is an empire of laws." The judiciary is the guardian of the rule law and we most avoid the temptation of legislating from the bench. The proper role the judiciary is to interpret the law as understood by the lawmaker - the People or the legislature. I have dedicated my career to protecting the rule of law.

I have authored America's Survival Guide, How to Stop America's Impending Suicide by Reclaiming Our First Principles and History - www.AmericasSurvivalGuide.com.

You can also visit www.PatriotWeek.org, which I co-founded with my then 10 year old daughter Leah.

My first long-term job was as a busboy (quickly head busboy) at the Gourmet House in St. Clair Shores. I started the job at the end of high school and stopped working there just before I started law school.

I bussed tables, set up and worked parties, managed other busboys, loaded and unloaded trucks, tended bar, and countless other tasks.

I worked full time during the summers, and part-time during college at Wayne State University. I learned a great deal about discipline, dedication, commitment, hard work, cooperating with others, meeting deadlines, and managing others. We had the opportunity to make some of people's most important, memorable moments (like weddings, graduations, etc.) wondrous or terrible, and we took responsibility to make sure they were wonderful by doing whatever we had to!

John Adams explained the Founders' sentiments when he wrote that good government and the very definition of a republic "is an empire of laws." The First Principle of the rule of law is indispensable to maintaining our unalienable rights, limited government, equality, and the Social Compact. The judiciary is the guardian of the rule law.
As Alexander Hamilton explained in Federalist No. 78, the constitutional and legal limitations of power on executive and legislative authorities "can be preserved in practice no other way than through the medium of courts of justice . . . . Without this, all the reservations of particular rights or privilege would amount to nothing." On the other hand, courts must exercise self-restraint to avoid the temptation of revising, “correcting,” or implementing policies the people or legislature have not enacted. "The courts," Hamilton continued, "must declare the sense of the law, and if they should be disposed to exercise WILL instead of JUDGMENT, the consequence would equally be the substitution of their pleasure for that of the legislative body."

Thus, to properly fulfill their role, courts must interpret the law as originally understood by the people (in the case of the Constitution) or the legislature (in the case of statutory construction). Judges should not legislate from the bench, but apply a fair and faithful application of the law as made by the people or the legislature. I have been an outspoken and consistent advocate for rule of law for decades. As a proven rule of law judge, I will continue to protect the Constitution and the law.

To understand a criminal defendant's or victim's perspective is often important in connection with sentencing to rendering a fair and just sentence.

I believe that all litigants have a divine spark, that they should respect themselves and others, that they have the capacity for growth and redemption, that they can improve their lives by taking accountability for the actions and moving forward with truth and courage, that they can improve their lives by setting life goals and creating actionable steps to achieving them, and that they can best do that by trying to be a slightly better person than they were the day before (not comparing themselves to others) and that over time amazing changes can happen. I have developed a probation pilot program - Reset - based on these principles, and may defendants have found it useful.

Michigan needs experienced and accomplished rule of law judges on the Court of Appeals.

I have the experience to be a superb Court of Appeals judge. I have tried over 360 jury trials and have over 19 years of trial experience. I have rendered thousands of sentences and issued thousands of opinions and orders. I will be perhaps the most experienced trial judge on the Court of Appeals when I take office, I will defend the Constitution and the rule of law, and I will be fair and just.

We cannot afford to have inexperienced judges who are there to legislate their policy preferences as opposed to fairly applying the law. Activist judges should run for the legislature, not the judiciary.