Boonstra, who is seeking a GOP nomination, said in a statement announcing his campaign that he would provide an “unbiased, rule-of-law approach” if elected to the high court.
Boonstra has been outspoken in his opposition to using personal pronouns in court cases, writing in a December 2021 opinion that he declined “to join in the insanity that has apparently now reached the courts” and refer to a defendant using they/them pronouns.
The court in 2023 required Michigan judges to either use the pronouns specified by legal parties or to address people in their courtrooms by their names “or other respectful means.”
Boonstra picked up endorsements from several former justices, including Robert Young, Clifford Taylor, Maura Corrigan and Stephen Markman.
Matthew DePerno
DePerno, a Kalamazoo-area attorney, is seeking the Republican nomination to serve the remainder of McCormack’s term.
DePerno, along with former state Rep. Daire Rendon and fellow attorney Stefanie Lambert, is now battling criminal charges for an alleged pro-Trump plot to illegally access voting machines following the 2020 election. He’s pleaded not guilty.
He has never held elected office or a judicial post, but was the Michigan Republican Party’s nominee for attorney general in 2022 and also ran for Michigan GOP chair last year. DePerno lost a convention vote to Kristina Karamo, who has since been replaced.
