Ann Arbor judge announces retirement after 28 years of service

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Judge Elizabeth Pollard Hines has announced that she will retire from her position as a 15th District Court judge after 28 years on the bench.

Announcing her retirement on Tuesday, Sept. 1., a statement from the Michigan Supreme Court said Hines will retire on Nov. 1.

Hines has served in the position since 1993 after she was elected to fill the open judgeship left by the 1992 retirement of Judge S. J. Elden.

“I have enjoyed coming to work for all of the 28 years. It has been my privilege to serve the citizens of Ann Arbor and the citizens of the state of Michigan. I will miss the important work I do each day with my colleagues, but I will fill my time by enjoying my family, especially my grandsons,” she said in the statement.

The longest serving judge in the 15th District Court, Hines was reelected in 1998, 2004, 2010 and 2016 without opposition.

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Currently, Hines presides over a specialized domestic violence docket and serves as faculty for judicial trainings across the U.S. in addition to her traditional judicial duties, according to the statement.

She spearheaded the Washtenaw County Street Outreach Court, which uses a team approach to deal with issues of homelessness while addressing criminal issues.

Hines has received numerous state and national accolades for her work. These include the Washtenaw County Bar Association’s “Patriot Award,” the “2008 Distinguished Service Award” from the National Center for State Courts and the first annual “Judicial Excellence Award” by the Michigan District Judges Association in 2011.

In 2018, Judge Hines was presented the “William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence” by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The award is one of the highest judicial honors in the U.S.

Hines currently serves on the board of Governors of the American Judges Association. She is the co-chair of the AJA Domestic Violence Committee, the past chair of AJA Access to Justice Committee and is a past member of the AJA Executive Committee. In 2012, the AJA created the “Judge Libby Hines Award,” which is given to judges who have made significant contributions for an effective response to domestic violence.

A new judge will be appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to fill the vacancy.