By Jennifer Champagne
The Munising Beacon
Alger County Prosecuting Attorney Robert Steinhoff is ready to trade the prosecutor’s table for the bench. The 35-year-old Munising native has announced he will run for judge in Michigan’s 11th Circuit Court, which spans Alger, Luce, Mackinac and Schoolcraft counties.
For Steinhoff, the decision is rooted in what he calls a need for “constancy, accountability and restored integrity” after months of turbulence in the circuit. He said community leaders have been urging him to step forward for more than a year, and the pressure grew after recent filings involving Judge Brian Rahilly. In July, his office joined the attorney general and Mackinac County prosecutors in asking that Rahilly be removed from criminal cases, citing alleged impropriety revealed in text messages.
“I wasn’t the first to act, but I felt it was my responsibility to speak up,” Steinhoff said. “If telling the truth means coming out strong, I’ll do it all day.”
Steinhoff’s story is firmly rooted in Munising. Born in Manistique, raised by parents who spent decades at the local paper mill, he describes a childhood of independence: long bike rides with friends, summers cleaning fish at Mattson’s, and lessons in hard work learned the messy way. He’s a fifth-generation resident and a descendant of Abraham Williams, one of the town’s early settlers.
After graduating from Munising High, Steinhoff followed his father’s path to Lake Superior State University, where he was twice elected student body president. Law school at the University of Wisconsin–Madison followed, along with clerkships under several Upper Peninsula judges. He returned home to practice law and, in 2019, was appointed county prosecutor. He also volunteers as a firefighter in Munising.
Now, he’s setting his sights on a broader role. Steinhoff says the circuit’s wide reach — from Mackinac Island to the western U.P. woods — demands a judge who will show up in every corner of the district. He lists meth and fentanyl as the region’s biggest threats, and vows to balance fair bond conditions with strict accountability.
The election is set for Nov. 3, 2026. If successful, Steinhoff says he’ll bring one constant to the bench: “I’m always going to do what is right.”
