Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano’s recent announcement that he will not seek another term on the state’s highest court creates an opening on the bench from which are decided some of the most important issues facing Michigan.

Justice Kyra Harris Bolden, meanwhile, will seek reelection this fall, meaning voters will pick two seats on the seven-member court. The contest happens statewide.

We urge Northeast Michiganders to study up on the candidates, their positions, and their previous rulings, and ponder long and hard before making their selections this fall.

Supreme Court justices are the final arbiters of the constitutionality of the laws created by the Legislature and the justices’ say has far-reaching implications across Michigan.

On the ballot, the justices do not have R’s or D’s next to their names. The justices’ biographies on the Supreme Court website do not mention their partisan leanings, and rarely do their campaigns mention the parties that endorsed them. The contest is supposedly nonpartisan, but justices can only appear on the ballot after being nominated at state party conventions. Voters will have to pay attention to know which candidates come from which party, which can provide some clues to how the candidates might approach the issues before the bench.

But partisanship provides clues, only.

It’s also important to read up on the candidates’ campaign literature and pay attention to news stories about them to know their approach to the law, because justices do not always adhere to party orthodoxy.

Study well, Northeast Michigan. The Supreme Court races don’t always get much ink, but that decision is one of the most important decisions voters will make this fall.