Marilyn Kelly, a 74-year-old former Supreme Court justice forced to retire last month, sees the state's age ceiling as arbitrary and unfair.
"We have invested in the judges who reach this age," she tells Michigan radio reporter-producer Kate Wells.
"Perhaps years of experience that they bring to bear on the court, that's lost when we tell them they're too old to serve. . . .
"I enjoyed the work. I felt I learned over the 16 years I was on the Supreme Court. . . . I'd reached a point where I felt I could contribute more than I could when I was in my early learning stage, so I felt it was a pity that I couldn't continue to contribute."
Kelly's time was up at the end of her latest term because the state Constitution bars the election of judicial candidates older than 70 -- a rule the ex-justice and others suggest changing.
The Senate Judiciary Committee last week unanimously passed a bill to drop the limit, Wells notes. If the full House and Senate agree, the proposed constitutional amendment would go to voters as a ballot proposition - a high hurdle to clear. Still, Kelly tells the public radio network broadcaster she's optimistic:
"This is an idea whose time has come. Many people hadn't really realized that we have this provision, which in this day and age looks like age discrimination."
