On September 6, 1976, the State of Wisconsin celebrated a milestone: the investiture of Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson, the first woman to serve on the state Supreme Court. Exactly 30 years later, on September 6, 2006, a reception will be held in the State Capitol in Madison from 4 to 6 p.m. to honor Chief Justice Abrahamson, who, in addition to marking 30 years on the Supreme Court, is celebrating her 10th anniversary as Chief Justice and 50 years as a lawyer. Co-hosting the event are the University of Wisconsin Law School, Marquette University Law School, and the State Bar of Wisconsin. A short program will be presented at the reception.
The event is open to the public, with no admission charge. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to submit the online RSVP form by August 30, 2006:
http://www.law.wisc.edu/events/abrahamson.htm
For more information, please contact Brian Berg at the UW Law School, (608) 262-5918 or brianberg@wisc.edu.
Background on Chief Justice Abrahamson:
Shirley S. Abrahamson became the first woman on the Wisconsin Supreme Court when she was appointed in 1976. She was elected to a 10-year term in 1979 and was re-elected in 1989 and 1999, and has served as chief justice since 1996. She earned an A.B. magna cum laude from New York University in 1953, a J.D. with high distinction from Indiana University Law School in 1956, and an S.J.D. in American legal history from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1962, and holds 14 honorary doctor of laws degrees. Before her appointment to the court, she practiced law in Madison for 14 years, taught as a faculty member of the University of Wisconsin Law School, and lectured at Marquette University Law School.
Chief Justice Abrahamson is the immediate past president of the Conference of Chief Justices, immediate past chair of the board of directors of the National Center for State Courts, a member of the council of the American Law Institute, and a member of the board of directors of the Institute of Judicial Administration at New York University School of Law. She was Chair of the National Institute of Justice National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence, 1997-2001, and is currently a member of the Science, Law and Technology Panel of the National Academy of Science. She is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Wisconsin Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2004 she was awarded the Dwight D. Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence by the American Judicature Society, and in 1999 was the recipient of the Harley Award. In 2000 she received the 1999 Wisconsin Newsmaker of the Year Award. In 1995 she was awarded the ABA Women Lawyers of Achievement Award (ABA Brent Award) and in 1994 the Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Chief Justice Abrahamson is the author of numerous articles on such topics as state constitutional law, victims’ rights, juries, and judicial independence.
Submitted by on September 7, 2006
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