Hillsdale College Law Professor and Former Michigan Supreme Court Justice Honored with Official Portrait

The portrait of Stephen Markman was unveiled at the Michigan Hall of Justice on Nov. 16.

Hillsdale College constitutional law professor and former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Stephen Markman was presented with an official portrait on Nov. 16 by the Michigan Supreme Court.

Sam Knecht, emeritus professor of art at Hillsdale College, was asked by Markman to paint the portrait. “Being tapped by Justice Markman to paint his official portrait has been a great honor. The challenge was to make a faithful likeness of the Justice and to communicate great respect for his office and career,” said Knecht.

Knecht worked closely with Justice Markman throughout the process of painting the portrait, which lasted around five years. “One of the most illuminating parts of my experience with Justice Markman was when we toured the Hall of Justice, the home of the Michigan Court,” Knecht said. “He sought my opinion of the format and style of Justice portraits there. In addition to my opinions on technique, I think he wanted to understand the character of each justice as communicated through brush and paint.”

Markman has taught constitutional law at Hillsdale College since 1993 and was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1999. He served as chief justice from 2017-2019 and remained a member of the court until his retirement in 2021. Before his time on the Michigan Supreme Court, Markman served on the Michigan Court of Appeals and as a Michigan federal prosecutor nominated by President George H. W. Bush. He was chief counsel of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution and deputy chief counsel of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Markman was appointed assistant attorney general of the United States under President Ronald Reagan and served in that capacity from 1985-1989. In 2021, Markman authored a “Memorandum to Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission” that proposed a set of recommendations to the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra presided over Markman’s portrait dedication ceremony. “Chief Justice Markman greatly influenced our nation’s jurisprudence, and his contribution to the law goes well beyond the great state of Michigan,” Zahra said. “As a member of the Michigan Supreme Court, Chief Justice Markman developed a reputation for being a thoughtful and exceptionally well-prepared jurist who always asked piercing and probative questions of counsel.” Hillsdale College alumnus and Michigan Supreme Court Justice David Viviano also attended the dedication ceremony.

For photos from the ceremony, click here. To watch a video of the ceremony, click here.

For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.

About Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is an independent, nonsectarian, Christian liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 6.2 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.

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