Brian Zahra
Brian K. Zahra is a Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.
Early life
Brian’s father Larry Zahra, an Honorary Consul for Malta in Michigan and a community leader. He is currently (2013) the President of the Maltese American Club of Dearborn, Michigan as well as a member on the Council for Maltese Living Abroad.
Brian Zahra attended Wayne State University and worked his way through college by opening a health and beauty-aid store in downtown Detroit, which he expanded into a full grocery store. He subsequently graduated from the University of Detroit School of Law with honours in 1987.
Career
Upon graduating from law school, Zahra clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Zatkoff until he joined the law firm of Dickinson Wright|Dickinson, Wright, Moon, Van Dusen & Freeman in 1989. He also served as a Wayne County Circuit Court judge from 1994-98 and was appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals by Republican Party (United States)|Republican Governor John Engler in 1999
In 2004, he was nominated and ran for the Michigan Supreme Court. Despite losing that bid for election, Zahra remained on the Court of Appeals
On January 11, 2011, Republican Governor Rick Snyder appointed Zahra as Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court to replace Maura Corrigan. In naming Zahra, Governor Snyder stated "Brian has a tremendous record. He served for 16 years on the bench, both on the Court of Appeals and in Wayne County. ... He's a rule-of-law judge, which was one of our key criteria, and he's recognized for being one of the hardest working people in the state of Michigan with respect to the judiciary".
Other Commitments
Zahra served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit law school, teaching evidence, and he has served on various bar and legislative committees, including the advisory committee for the Michigan Judicial Institute Domestic Violence Benchbook and the Domestic Violence Legislation Implementation Task Force. He is currently a member of the Federalist Society, which he has served as secretary and vice-president, and he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Lawyers Society.
Brian is married to Suzanne and they have 2 children