Clifford Woodworth "Cliff" Taylor (born November 9, 1942) is a former American judge who served on the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...

from 1997 through 2009. He served as the Michigan Supreme Court's Chief Justice from 2005 through 2009. After his tenure as a judge, he joined the law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone and served as a visiting law professor at

Ave Maria School of Law Ave Maria School of Law is a private Roman Catholic law school in Naples, Florida. It was founded in 1999 and is accredited by the American Bar Association. History and governance Ave Maria School of Law was founded in 1999, accepting its fir ...

Michigan Supreme Court

Taylor was appointed to the court in 1997 by then-Governor

John Engler John Mathias Engler (born October 12, 1948) is an American politician, lawyer, businessman, and lobbyist who served as the 46th governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003. Considered one of the country's top lobbyists, he is a member of the Republi ...

, ran for election to the balance of the appointed term in 1998 and was reelected in 2000. He was chosen by his fellow justices to be the Chief Justice twice, in 2005 and 2007. Wayne County Circuit Judge Diane Marie Hathaway defeated Justice Taylor in the 2008 Supreme Court election. After Taylor's defeat in the election, the Court chose

Marilyn Jean Kelly Marilyn Jean Kelly (born April 15, 1938) is an American jurist. She was elected to two terms both on the Michigan Court of Appeals and as a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. Due to her being over 70 years old, Kelly was prohibited by the Mic ...

to succeed him as chief justice.

Personal

Taylor is a graduate of the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and

The George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a private federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress and is the first ...

. He is chairman of the board of directors of the

Mackinac Center for Public Policy The Mackinac Center for Public Policy () is a think tank headquartered in Midland, Michigan. Through research and programs, the Mackinac Center supports lower taxes, reduced regulatory authority for state agencies, right-to-work laws, school ...

. He is married to Lucille Taylor, with whom he has two sons.

References

1942 births Living people University of Michigan alumni George Washington University Law School alumni Chief justices of the Michigan Supreme Court Ave Maria School of Law faculty Mackinac Center for Public Policy Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court {{Michigan-state-judge-stub