Rochester-area voters will choose between Victoria King and Lisa Marie Neilson for a six-year seat on Oakland County's Sixth Judicial Circuit Court on Nov. 3.

The nonpartisan race puts a judicial staff attorney against a former family court judge. The winner will join a bench that handles felony criminal cases, civil disputes over $25,000, divorce, child custody, adoptions and juvenile matters, according to Oakland County court records. The position pays $186,163 a year, according to C&G Newspapers.

Neilson, 60, of Birmingham, led the Aug. 4 primary with 110,948 votes, or 46%, according to ClickOnDetroit's election results. King, 54, of Troy, finished second with 71,778 votes, or 30%. A third candidate, Nadine Renee Hatten, was eliminated with 24%.

King has worked as a judicial staff attorney and has never held elected office, according to a C&G Newspapers candidate profile. She earned her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2010 and has lived in Troy for 28 years.

In a C&G Newspapers questionnaire published July 15, King wrote that her top priorities include thorough preparation and clear rulings.

"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 wrote.

Neilson served as a probate judge assigned to the Third Judicial Circuit Court's Family Division from 2012 to 2022. She now runs Neilson Consulting, PLLC, in Birmingham. She holds a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and earned a master's degree in social work from the University of Michigan in 2024.

In the same questionnaire, Neilson said her goals are shaped by a decade on the bench and a career that started as Oakland County Family Court staff. She said she wants to bring "proven judicial experience" and "equal access to justice" to the circuit court.

The Oakland County Bar Association (OCBA), partnering with the League of Women Voters-Oakland Area, has posted video interviews with both candidates on the Oakland County Times website. The OCBA said it does not endorse either candidate. The site says new candidate videos will be added through Election Day.