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Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson dead at age 87
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson has died. Abrahamson’s 43 years on the court made her the longest-serving justice in state Supreme Court history.
She was also the first woman to serve on the court, and its chief justice for a record 19 years, from 1996 until 2015.
Governor Tony Evers said in a statement that Abrahamson’s legacy is defined through her “life’s work of ensuring she would not be the last, paving and lighting the way for the many women and others who would come after her.”
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Supreme Court chief justice Shirley Abrahamson questions state attorney general J.B. Van Hollen, during arguments in Madison Teachers Inc. vs. Scott Walker, in the Wisconsin Supreme Court at the state capitol in Madison, Wisconsin, November 11, 2013. (M.P. King /Wisconsin State Journal via AP, Pool, File)
MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) Shirley Abrahamson, the longest-serving Wisconsin Supreme Court justice in state history and the first woman to serve on the high court, has died. She was 87.
Abrahamson, who also served as chief justice for a record 19 years, died Saturday, after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, her son Dan Abrahamson told the Journal Sentinel newspaper in Milwaukee.
Abrahamson, First Woman To Serve On Wisconsin Supreme Court Dies
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson has died at the age of 87. Abrahamson served on the court from 1976 to 2015, writing more than 13-hundred opinions. She was the first woman to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court and also the first woman to serve as its Chief Justice. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers described her as a “meticulous jurist and a profound writer.” Abrahamson announced in August 2018 that she had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although she drew praise from Democrats and liberals for her work, she always maintained she was an independent.
“The loss of Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson is devastating. Today, I join the people of Wisconsin in mourning her passing. I am thinking of the Justice’s family and friends at this difficult time.
“Chief Justice Abrahamson was a remarkable public servant and a jurist of historic stature whose 40-year career on the court is hallmarked by her efforts to make Wisconsin a fair and more just place to live.
“She was the first woman to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and the first to serve as chief justice, inspiring the generations who came after her to follow in her footsteps in moving our state forward. As the longest serving Supreme Court Justice in state history, Chief Justice Abrahamson’s impact on the legal profession in Wisconsin cannot be overstated. Her influence was enormous and lives on through the hundreds of opinions written by her over her incredible career.