Novi voters and Northville residents in Oakland County will choose between Victoria King and Lisa Marie Neilson for an open seat on the Oakland County Circuit Court on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

The nonpartisan race fills a six-year term on the Sixth Judicial Circuit, based in Pontiac. The seat will open when Judge Martha Anderson retires at the end of 2026, according to a Legal News profile of the race. Judges on the court handle criminal, civil and family cases affecting residents across Oakland County.

The Oakland County Times published video interviews with both candidates on Sept. 29 as part of an Oakland County Bar Association-sponsored judicial candidate interview series. The OCBA said it does not endorse either candidate. The Northville District Library's voter guide also lists both candidates with links to their campaign websites.

The Michigan Bureau of Elections lists King and Neilson as the two candidates for the non-incumbent 6th Circuit seat in the Nov. 3 general election.

Victoria King

King, 54, is a judicial staff attorney who lives in Troy. She holds a bachelor's degree from Hillsdale College, a master's degree from Central Michigan University and a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, according to her VOTE411 questionnaire.

She has spent 14 years advising judges at the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court and two years in private practice. Before law school, she worked 15 years as a software engineer. In 2023, she took on an expanded role advising 20 circuit judges and seven visiting judges on complex legal issues, motions and draft opinions, the Legal News reported.

King has served on the OCBA board since 2017 and is currently vice president and director. She was president of the Oakland County Bar Foundation in 2021-22.

In her VOTE411 questionnaire for the November election, King wrote that family court litigants "come to court at the hardest moment of their lives, often without counsel, and they deserve a judge who has read every brief and relevant authority before they walk in."

King's endorsements include the Oakland County Democratic Party, the Novi Democratic Club and the Michigan Association for Justice, according to Blue Voter Guide.

Lisa Marie Neilson

Neilson, 60, is an attorney, mediator and licensed social worker who lives in Birmingham. She holds a bachelor's degree from Madonna University, a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan.

She was appointed to the Wayne County Probate Court in 2012 and served nearly 10 years assigned to the Third Judicial Circuit Court, Family Division. There she presided over custody, child protective, juvenile, emergency and personal protection cases. She began her legal career as a judicial law clerk to Judge Linda S. Hallmark in Oakland County Probate Court.

After leaving the bench, Neilson founded Neilson Consulting, PLLC in 2022 and serves on the State Bar's Alternative Dispute Resolution Section Council.

In her VOTE411 questionnaire for the November election, Neilson said she brings nearly a decade of judicial experience and "a complete understanding of family court from every perspective," including her post-bench Master of Social Work.

Neilson's endorsements include the National Association of Social Workers Michigan Chapter, according to Blue Voter Guide. Oakland County Republican leadership identified her as their preferred candidate for the seat, according to a GOP judicial voter guide.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters can find their polling location and check registration status through the Michigan Secretary of State's website.