The Michigan Solicitor General or Solicitor General of Michigan is the top appellate lawyer for the State of Michigan. It is an appointed position in the Office of the Michigan Attorney General, with supervision over all of the office's major appellate cases and amici briefs. The majority of the matters that the Solicitor General handles are argued in the United States Supreme Court and the Michigan Supreme Court, although the Solicitor General is also responsible for Michigan's filings in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, Michigan's appellate courts, and other federal and state appellate courts. On February 28, 2011, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette named John J. Bursch Michigan Solicitor General and Eric B. Restuccia Deputy Michigan Solicitor General, proclaiming them "the best one-two punch of any Attorney General's office in America."[1]
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The office of Michigan Solicitor General was created in 1939 and is modeled after the United States Solicitor General. The position is codified in Michigan Compiled Laws Section 14.28.[2]
The current Michigan Solicitor General is John J. Bursch.
| Years | Michigan Solicitor General | Michigan Attorney General |
|---|---|---|
| 1941–1957 | Edmund E. Shepherd | Herbert J. Rushton |
| 1957–1961 | Samuel J. Torina | Paul L. Adams |
| 1961–1962 | Joseph B. Belitzke | Frank J. Kelley |
| 1962–1962 | Eugene Krasicky | Frank J. Kelley |
| 1963–1982 | Robert A. Derengoski | Frank J. Kelley |
| 1982–1990 | Louis J. Caruso | Frank J. Kelley |
| 1990–1992 | Gay Secor Hardy | Frank J. Kelley |
| 1992–2008 | Thomas L. Casey | Frank J. Kelley |
| 2008–2011 | B. Eric Restuccia | Mike Cox |
| 2011–present | John J. Bursch | Bill Schuette |