Thursday, October 15, 2020

Voters to choose new judge at 34th court

Alexandria Taylor
Lisa Martin
Sumpter Township, Belleville, Van Buren Township, Huron Township and Romulus voters will decide on a new judge at the 34th District Court which serves all the communities.

Lisa Martin and Alexandria Taylor were the top vote getters seeking the six-year term during the August primary election and will now appear on the General Election ballot Nov. 3. 

One of them will replace incumbent Judge David Parrott, who placed third in the primary and was eliminated from the ballot. Parrott was embattled in controversy after a drunken driving incident, as well as a suspension with pay following a domestic violence assault and battery charge.

Martin, 48, is a staff attorney with Lakeshore Legal Aid in Warren. She was appointed as attorney magistrate in the 34th District Court from June 2018 until February 2020. She and her husband, Kevin, have resided in the Van Buren Township area for more than 13 years.

Taylor, 39, is the managing attorney of her own firm, Taylor Law Firm located in Detroit. She is the chairwoman of the Charter Commission in Romulus and has three children.

Martin has pointed to her education at Harvard University and University of Michigan Law School and her 21 years of legal experience as examples of her qualifications. She said her experience has been primarily in Michigan district courts and her service as a magistrate at the Romulus court makes her uniquely qualified to serve as the newest judge there.

She also noted that she has a long history of volunteer service to community support programs which add to her qualifications.

Taylor cited her experience as a trial lawyer as one of her strongest qualifications along with a “mix of experience and character,” and said she has the temperament to best serve the residents of the communities.

She said she has spent her entire career as a litigator, including working as an assistant city attorney in Woodhaven and Allen Park. She said she has been in court trials in district and circuit courts throughout the state and has practiced appellate law, arguing in the Michigan Court of Appeals.

She said that practicing law adds perspective and that working as an assistant city attorney helped her learn to the value of collaboration and a positive working relationship with local law enforcement.

Both names will be on the Nov. 3 ballot in all the communities served by the 34th District Court.