Judge Mark Boonstra
JUDGE MARK T. BOONSTRA
Judge Boonstra was appointed to the Court of Appeals in March, 2012, and he was subsequently elected in 2012, 2014, and 2020. In addition to his appellate duties, Judge Boonstra served a two-year term on the Michigan Court of Claims, by appointment of the Michigan Supreme Court, from May 1, 2015 to May 1, 2017, where his docket included cases arising out of the Flint Water Crisis. Prior to serving on the Court, Judge Boonstra was a senior principal in the law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C., where he practiced law for 27 years, including serving as a Deputy Chair of the firm’s Litigation practice group and as Co-Chair of its Appellate Practice section. At the time he joined the Court, he was recognized in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of: Antitrust Law; Appellate Practice; Bet-the-Company Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Litigation - Antitrust; Litigation - First Amendment; and Litigation - Securities. He previously also served as a Law Clerk to Hon. Ralph B. Guy, Jr. in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan from 1983 to 1985.
Judge Boonstra graduated from the University of Michigan in 1983 with both Juris Doctor and Master of Applied Economics degrees. He is also a 1979 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Michigan State University, with a B.A. in Political Science. A native of Muskegon, Michigan, Judge Boonstra graduated from Western Michigan Christian High School in 1975.
Judge Boonstra has been active in the State Bar of Michigan, including serving in the Representative Assembly (2005–2011), as Chair of the Section on Antitrust, Franchising, and Trade Regulation (2000–2001), and as a Fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation. From 2015-2020, he also served as Chair of the Michigan Supreme Court Committee on Model Civil Jury Instructions, and he previously served as Vice-Chair of State of Michigan Retirement Board and Chair of the Michigan Judges Retirement Board.
Term expires January 1, 2027.
