Alton Davis

Alton Thomas Davis (born c. 1946-47) is an American prosecutor, jurist and former member of the Michigan Supreme Court. Legal career Davis began his legal career as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Crawford County, Michigan and eventual served four years as the elected prosecutor. He then spent 21 years as a judge on the 46th Circuit Court, spending 17 years as chief judge. In July 2005, Davis was appointed to the 4th District of the Michigan Court of Appeals by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, replacing Judge Richard A. Griffin, who had been confirmed by the United States Senate to be a judge United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Davis was elected to finish the remainder of Griffin's term in 2006 and to a full term in 2008. Michigan Supreme Court Appointment In 2010, amidst rumors that the Michigan Republican Party would not formally nominate her for a third term, Justice Elizabeth Weaver announced plans to run as an independent. Just days before both political parties were to formally nominate candidates for the statewide ballot, Weaver unexpectedly resigned from the court, allowing Granholm to appoint Davis as her replacement, serving the final four months of Weaver's term. The appointment of Davis gave Democratic-nominated or appointed justices a brief, but solid 4-3 majority on the Court after years being in the minority after appointments from former Gov. John Engler. The first formal opinion from Davis was a dissenting opinion in Certified Question (Waeschle v Oakland Co Med Examiner), a case that involved whether the next of kin of a deceased person had the right to possess the brain of a dead relative if the brain had been detained by the county medical examiner in investigation of a crime. Davis did not rule on the merits, instead saying he believed the Court should not have been involved in the case.