Meet Nicole Huddleston
Nicole Huddleston is an effective advocate and public servant who has dedicated her career to building stronger families and communities.
Growing up in a working-class home, Nicole learned the importance of service above self. Her mother, a supervisor in a nursing home, and father, who served in Vietnam, encouraged Nicole to work hard, help others, and always stand up for what’s right. That foundation drove her to pursue the law as a way to make a difference and improve lives.
Following graduation from Cass Tech High School, Nicole earned her B.A. from Oakland University and J.D. from The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. At UDM, Nicole served as a member of the Moot Court Board of Advocates and vice-president of the Business Law Association. She was also a judicial intern with the Honorable Victoria Roberts and the Honorable Marianne Battani in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and with the Honorable Helene White in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Throughout her legal career, Nicole has helped people from marginalized and underserved communities meet their fullest potential by providing free legal counsel and representation to individuals who otherwise would not have access to the judicial system. As an attorney, she has handled family, civil, and criminal litigation throughout Southeastern Michigan. Nicole has served as managing director at the Detroit Justice Center (DJC) for the past several years, overseeing the organization’s Legal Services Practice. Under her leadership, DJC has successfully worked with and helped remove legal barriers for thousands of clients in the Metro Detroit area.
Before joining DJC, Nicole worked as an assistant Wayne County prosecutor in its domestic violence division and as a staff attorney at Legal Aid and Defenders and Lakeshore Legal Aid. Recognized as a social justice leader, she is a member of the Wolverine Bar Association, the Oakland County Bar Association, board member for the Straker Bar Association, and an ABA-certified mediator in the State of Michigan. In 2021, Nicole was named to the Michigan Supreme Court’s Justice for All (JFA) Commission, which is tasked with leading the implementation of the JFA Strategic Plan aimed at helping more Michiganders solve civil legal problems, including landlord-tenant issues, family law disputes, and access to benefits.
Nicole lives in West Bloomfield with her husband and 11-year-old son, and has two adult daughters who are currently juniors in college. Active in the community, she serves on the board of The Youth Connection, a nonprofit that provides mentorship and job-readiness skills for at-risk youth, the advisory board for Center for Employment Opportunities, an organization that seeks to ensure that justice-impacted job seekers have opportunities to achieve socioeconomic mobility, and is an Executive Board of Matrix Theater, an organization committed to building community and creating positive change through the arts. Nicole is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, North/Oakland Macomb Chapter.
Today, Nicole is running for Oakland County Circuit Court Judge because our communities deserve a judiciary that not only reflects the community it seeks to serve, but is equipped to advance the principles of equal justice under the law.
As a mother and someone who has taken over primary care for children who were not biologically her own, Nicole understands how important decisions surrounding guardianship are to children, their families, and the broader community. As a judge for Oakland County's Family Division, Nicole will approach every decision that comes before her with fairness, empathy, and integrity.
If fortunate enough to earn your support, Nicole will make history as the first Black woman elected to the 6th Circuit bench who was not first appointed. As Judge, she will prioritize what matters most:
CRITICAL THINKING. By virtue of her training and practice, Nicole is prepared to handle difficult, contentious cases.
THE RIGHT TEMPERAMENT. Nicole will treat all comers with a baseline level of kindness, decency, and respect.
JUSTICE UNDER THE LAW. When you enter a courtroom, there’s no place for bias. Nicole will work to ensure that personal biases do not make it into any decision made by the court.