Presidents Day

As Americans, we will celebrate Presidents Day on Monday, February 20th. The holiday honors the legacies of all U.S. Presidents and coincides with the birthdays of George Washington (Feb 22) and Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12). A glance at the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Reference Guide shows that February is a busy month for the birthdays of historic Michigan Supreme Court justices. There are 11 birthdays in this short month. In fact, the only month that has the same number of historic Michigan Supreme Court justice birthdays is August.

This month we celebrate the lives of the following Michigan Supreme Court justices:

Feb 8 Franz C. Kuhn and John S. McDonald; Feb 17 John W. Champlin; Feb 19 Ross Wilkins; Feb 20 Otis Smith; Feb 21 George H. Durand; Feb 23 G. Mennen Williams; Feb 24 Howard Wiest; Feb 25 James V. Campbell; Feb 27 Blair Moody, Jr.; Feb 28 Samuel Douglass

Read more about these historic figures, see their official portraits, and even listen to oral history interviews by following the links. You will find that this impressive list includes a former Governor, the first African American justice, and a member of the Big Four.