The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Michigan Supreme Court Justice Joan Larsen to the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, close to five months after she was nominated by President Donald Trump.

Wednesday's 60-38 vote in the Senate makes official the latest step in Larsen's rapid rise in the judiciary.

Republican Gov. Rick Snyder named Larsen, 48, to the Michigan Supreme Court just over two years ago.

Before naming her to the 6th Circuit, President Trump had included Larsen on a short list of potential U.S. Supreme Court appointments.

Before that, Larsen was a law professor at U-M and special counsel to the dean for student and graduate activities.

“Joan has served on the Michigan Supreme Court with great honor and distinction," Snyder said in a statement Wednesday.

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"While we are sad to see her leave the court, I truly appreciate her dedicated work on the bench for the past two years and her devotion to upholding the rule of law. I’m proud that President Trump chose someone from Michigan to serve in this important role.”

Michigan's two Democratic U.S. senators, Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, broke with most of their colleagues to vote in favor of Larsen's nomination.

“I had a productive meeting with Justice Larsen earlier this summer when we discussed her nomination," Stabenow said in a statement. "Based on this meeting and the feedback I received from constituents and leaders in Michigan’s legal community, I voted in support of her nomination on the Senate floor.”

Larsen earlier served in the administration of former President George W. Bush, advising the White House and the U.S. attorney general as deputy assistant attorney general in the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel from January 2002 to May 2003.

Before that, Larsen clerked for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, among other roles after graduating from Northwestern University School of Law.

In early October, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-9, along party lines, to advance Larsen's nomination to the full Senate.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said before the vote that she could not support Larsen's nomination because of questions some groups have raised about her views on executive power.

She also questioned the fact that an organization that promotes conservative jurists — the Judicial Crisis Network — spent $140,000 on ads pushing Larsen's nomination and attacking Stabenow and Peters, who initially delayed it.

At her confirmation hearing in September, Larsen assured committee members she would have no trouble ruling against any president — Trump included — if he or she violated the law. She also said she had no idea why the Judicial Crisis Network spent the money and that her record shows she has ruled for both corporate interests and individuals.

Carrie Serverino, chief counsel and policy director for the Judicial Crisis Network, issued a statement Wednesday praising the confirmation, citing Larsen's "sterling background and ... unwavering commitment to the rule of law."

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com.