Laurie J. Michelson

Laurie Jill Michelson (born 1967) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and former United States magistrate judge of the same court.

Biography Michelson received an Artium Baccalaureus degree in 1989 from the University of Michigan. She received a Juris Doctor in 1992 from Northwestern University School of Law. From 1992 to 1993, she served as a law clerk to Judge Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. She joined the law firm of Butzel Long as an associate in 1993, becoming a shareholder in 2000. Her private practice specialized in media law, intellectual property and white collar criminal defense.

Federal judicial service

In 2011, she was appointed as a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, a capacity in which she served until her elevation as a district court judge on March 14, 2014. On March 11, 2014, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 56–43 vote. On March 12, 2014, her nomination was confirmed by a 98–0 vote. She received her judicial commission on March 14, 2014.