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Judge, Michigan Court of Appeals, 3rd District

Hon. Daniel S. Korobkin

Bench Watch Brief · Profile in brief

Daniel S. Korobkin is a Michigan Court of Appeals judge appointed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2025, after more than 16 years at the ACLU of Michigan, most recently as legal director. He presided over the panel that upheld the Curtis conviction. He won election to the seat unopposed on Nov. 3, 2026.

Before the bench

At the ACLU of Michigan from 2008 to 2025, he was a staff attorney, spent five years as deputy legal director and was legal director from 2019. He clerked for U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson and U.S. Circuit Judge Robert D. Sack, and he has taught part-time at the University of Michigan Law School.

Highlights and issues

  1. Election

    Elected to the Court of Appeals, unopposed

    Two incumbents ran for the two 3rd District seats, and the August primary was canceled. Results are unofficial until certified.

  2. Notable ruling

    Writes for the court upholding a judge's refusal to admit expert testimony from a hearing on a defense lawyer's effectiveness at a new trial, while leaving open its use in other cases (People v. Rademacher, published)

  3. Notable ruling

    Dissents in a murder appeal, saying a prosecutor's argument denied the defendant a fair trial (People v. Rogers)

  4. Notable ruling

    Presides over the panel that upholds the Curtis conviction in an untested-rape-kit case

  5. Notable ruling

    Writes for the court reversing aggravated-stalking and related computer-crime convictions for insufficient evidence (People v. Eichler, published)

  6. Election

    Appointed to the Court of Appeals by Gov. Whitmer

Cases we follow in this courtroom

  • Video · WDIV Local 4
    AppealDecided

    People of the State of Michigan v. Marshawn James Curtis

    Mich. Ct. App. · No. Mich. Ct. App. No. 369945

    A rape kit from a 2012 Lansing assault sat untested after prosecutors declined to charge. Sent to a lab in 2016 as part of a statewide initiative, the kit's DNA was later matched to Marshawn James Curtis, whom an Ingham County jury convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2023. The Michigan Court of Appeals upheld the conviction on March 19, 2026, and court records show no further appeal.

    Updated November 14, 2026 · 2 min read

Sources