Michael Cavanagh (judge)

Michael F. Cavanagh
Cavanagh in 1977
Associate Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
In office
January 1, 1983  January 1, 2015
Succeeded byRichard H. Bernstein
Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
In office
1991–1995
Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals
In office
1975–1982
Judge of the Michigan 54-A District Court
In office
1973–1975
Personal details
Born(1940-10-21)October 21, 1940
Lansing, Michigan, U.S.
DiedMay 20, 2025(2025-05-20) (aged 84)
Political partyDemocratic
SpousePatricia
RelationsJerome Cavanagh (brother)
ChildrenMegan Cavanagh
Residence(s)East Lansing, Michigan
Alma materUniversity of Detroit (BA, LLB)

Michael Francis Cavanagh (October 21, 1940 – May 20, 2025) was an American justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.

He was born in Lansing, Michigan, U.S. and a younger brother of Jerome Cavanagh who was Mayor of Detroit in the 1960s. He earned a B.A. degree from the University of Detroit in 1962 and his JD degree from the University of Detroit Law School in 1966.

He previously served as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals from 1975 to 1982. Before that, he served as Lansing City Attorney and as a District Court judge.

Cavanagh served as chief justice from 1991 to 1995.

In November 2018, his daughter, Megan Cavanagh, was elected as an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, and became the first child to have joined her parent as a member of the Court since 1857. He died on May 20, 2025, at the age of 84.