Gov. Rick Snyder has appointed his chief lawyer Elizabeth Clement to the Michigan Supreme Court.
Clement fills the vacancy left when Joan Larsen was appointed to a federal appeals court by President Donald Trump.
Snyder on Friday called Clement an "exceptional attorney and leader" who will bring varied experience in government and private practice to the bench. Republicans will continue to have a 5-2 majority on the Supreme Court.
The 40-year-old Clement lives in East Lansing and has served as chief legal counsel, deputy chief of staff and deputy legal counsel in the Republican governor's office. She has previously worked in the state Senate.
She has a bachelor's and law degrees from Michigan State University. In picking Clement, Snyder ensures the seven-member court will still have two female justices.
