Shirley Abrahamson
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Shirley S. Abrahamson (born December 17, 1933) is the Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She was initially appointed to that body by Governor Patrick Lucey in 1976, and subsequently elected to ten-year terms in 1979, 1989, and 1999. Her current term expires July 31, 2009. Abrahamson is planning to run for another ten year term in 2009 against Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Randy Koschnick[1]. While judicial races in Wisconsin are non-partisan, Abrahamson is identified with the Democratic Party.
Biography
Born and raised in New York City, Chief Justice Abrahamson received a bachelor's degree from New York University in 1953, a law degree from Indiana University School of Law - Bloomington in 1956, and a doctorate of law in American legal history in 1962 from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She is the recipient of 14 honorary doctor of laws degrees and the Distinguished Alumni Award of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Legal Career
Abrahamson became the Chief Justice on August 1, 1996, and in that capacity serves as the administrative leader of the Wisconsin court system. She is the first woman to have served as either Justice or as Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Before joining the court, Justice Abrahamson practiced law in Madison, and taught at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
2009 Supreme Court Election
For more information see Wisconsin Supreme Court elections
Earlier in 2008, Shirley Abrahamson announced that she was going to run for re-election in the April 2008 election. Shirley Abrahamson will be facing Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Randy Koschnick[1].
On The Issues
Judicial philosophy
Abrahamson is an advocate of judicial independence. Her well-circulated essay "Judicial Independence as a Campaign Platform" articulates the debate as such:
"Many judicial candidates are choosing not to exercise their First Amendment rights fully because they are concerned they may tarnish the public's perception of fairness and impartiality, and may disqualify themselves from sitting on cases....In any judicial selection system, the best way to ensure judicial independence is to develop the public's understanding of, and respect for, the concept of judicial independence....Judicial independence means that judges decide cases fairly and impartially, relying only on the facts and the law..."
"There are two types of judicial independence: decisional independence and institutional independence (sometimes called branch independence). Decisional independence refers to a judge's ability to render decisions free from political or popular influence; decisions should be based solely upon the facts of the individual case and the applicable law. Institutional independence describes the judicial branch as a separate and co-equal branch of government with the executive and legislative branches."[2]
Public Financing of Judicial Elections
Like her opponent Randy Koschnick, Abrahamson is a huge supporter of public financing of judicial elections to curb the influence of third party attack advertising by special interest and advocacy organizations[1].
Non-Partisan v. Partisan Judicial Elections
After her opponent Randy Koschnick announced his candidacy, Abrahamson stated on non-partisan judical elections: "A court election is like no other. Justices are not for or against any cause -- we are not pro- or anti- anything. Citizens expect their judges to be fair and impartial and to make decisions based on the merits of a case rather than political and ideological grounds. People need to know that when it’s their day in court, the judge will be a fair, even-handed and independent decision maker of justice. Therefore, it is essential that candidates for election be as nonpartisan as citizens expect their judges to be."[1]
Civic activities
Abramson is the past president of the National Conference of Chief Justices and past chair of the board of directors of the National Center for State Courts. She also served as chair of the National Institute of Justice's, National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. She is a member of the Council of the American Law Institute and the board of directors of New York University School of Law Institute of Judicial Administration.
She also has served on the State Bar of Wisconsin's Commission on the Delivery of Legal Services and American Bar Association's Coalition for Justice.
She is a fellow of the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and an elected member of the American Philosophical Society. In 2004, she received the American Judicature Society’s Dwight D. Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence. Chief Justice Abrahamson is featured in Great American Judges: An Encyclopedia (John R. Vile ed. 2003).[3]
External links
- Wisconsin’s Chief Justice Named Chair-Elect of National Court Reform Organization
- Chief Justices Meet in Manhattan
- Shanghai to Madison: Group of 20 Chinese judges visits U.S. to learn about legal system
- Wisconsin Court System page on Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson
- Interview with Shirley Abrahamson
References
Portions of this article have been taken from Wikipedia the free encyclopedia.
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