I write to urge the citizens of south central Wisconsin to join me in supporting Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson for re-election to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Tuesday, April 7.
Chief Justice Abrahamson has earned an unequaled reputation for fairness, independence, scholarship and judicial leadership during her 32-year career on the Supreme Court, the last 12 as our chief justice. Not only has she been a leader on her own court, gaining a national reputation for the excellence of her judicial opinions, but as the "CEO" of the Wisconsin Court System, she has established our courts as a national model for innovation, technological advancement, openness and access in the delivery of justice.
During her time on the bench, Chief Justice Abrahamson has participated in thousands of legal decisions that affect the lives of Wisconsin citizens. In every legal dispute, one party ultimately wins and the other loses, so not everyone can be pleased with every outcome. "Easy" cases usually settle, and judges are paid to decide the "hard" ones, especially at the Supreme Court level where past precedents may point in different directions or new developments in the law or society present difficult choices. So, when an incumbent justice stands for re-election, it is easy for a challenger to pick a handful of opinions, oversimplify them and criticize the incumbent's decision.
To be sure, I have not always agreed with Chief Justice Abrahamson's decisions - in particular, on those occasions when she authored or joined in opinions that reversed decisions of mine! But, in every case she has decided, there can be no question that she resolved it on the basis of the facts before her and the dictates of the law as she read it, irrespective of who the parties might have been or the political consequences that might flow from her decision. Moreover, the chief justice never fails to explain her reasoning in a way that judges, lawyers and citizens can accept and understand. That is precisely what we want our judges and justices to do, and no one does it better than Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
Chief Justice Abrahamson has earned our trust and confidence in her three decades of service to the citizens of Wisconsin. She deserves to be returned to the Supreme Court for another term.
Chief Justice Abrahamson has earned an unequaled reputation for fairness, independence, scholarship and judicial leadership during her 32-year career on the Supreme Court, the last 12 as our chief justice. Not only has she been a leader on her own court, gaining a national reputation for the excellence of her judicial opinions, but as the "CEO" of the Wisconsin Court System, she has established our courts as a national model for innovation, technological advancement, openness and access in the delivery of justice.
During her time on the bench, Chief Justice Abrahamson has participated in thousands of legal decisions that affect the lives of Wisconsin citizens. In every legal dispute, one party ultimately wins and the other loses, so not everyone can be pleased with every outcome. "Easy" cases usually settle, and judges are paid to decide the "hard" ones, especially at the Supreme Court level where past precedents may point in different directions or new developments in the law or society present difficult choices. So, when an incumbent justice stands for re-election, it is easy for a challenger to pick a handful of opinions, oversimplify them and criticize the incumbent's decision.
To be sure, I have not always agreed with Chief Justice Abrahamson's decisions - in particular, on those occasions when she authored or joined in opinions that reversed decisions of mine! But, in every case she has decided, there can be no question that she resolved it on the basis of the facts before her and the dictates of the law as she read it, irrespective of who the parties might have been or the political consequences that might flow from her decision. Moreover, the chief justice never fails to explain her reasoning in a way that judges, lawyers and citizens can accept and understand. That is precisely what we want our judges and justices to do, and no one does it better than Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson.
Chief Justice Abrahamson has earned our trust and confidence in her three decades of service to the citizens of Wisconsin. She deserves to be returned to the Supreme Court for another term.
