Tomorrow, June 18, 2019 is Justice Shirley Abrahamson Day in Madison

When I was a kid, my parents voted in every election.  While they always took me along with them to the polling place to instill in me the importance of voting, they rarely if ever told me which individuals they were going to vote for in any given election.  One exception was in 1979 when my Mom and Dad told me they were going to pull the lever for Justice Shirley Abrahamson. This was Justice Abrahmason's first election after having been appointed to the Supreme Court by Governor Lucy in 1976.

Tomorrow, June 18, 2019, at 4:30pm in the Capitol Rotunda there were will be a celebration of Justice Abrahamson's service.  Last week, in anticipation of this event, the Madison Common Council passed a resoltuion declaring June 18, 2019 to be Justice Shirley Abrahamson Day in the City of Madison. I want to again thank Justice Abrahamson and her colleague on the State Supreme Court, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, for attending the Council meeting when the resolution was passed.

The resolution reads as follows:

WHEREAS, Justice Shirley Abrahamson was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in August of 1976; and

WHEREAS, Justice Abrahamson was elected by the people of Wisconsin to a full term on the Supreme Court in 1979 and re-elected to the Supreme Court in 1989, 1999, and 2009; and

WHEREAS, Justice Abrahamson was the first woman to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the first woman to serve as Chief Justice, a position she held for 19 years, and in 2013 she broke a 120-year-old record when she became the longest serving state Supreme Court Justice in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Honorable was not merely a title conferred on Justice Abrahamson by virtue of the position she has held, but one that was earned through her dedication, integrity, and steadfast commitment to the rule of law, the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Wisconsin; and

WHEREAS, Justice Abrahamson championed equal justice for all Wisconsinites, no matter their race, gender, sexuality or income; and

WHEREAS, Justice Abrahamson's majority opinions and her dissents could not be predicted based on partisan politics or the parties to a case, instead the people of Wisconsin could always rely on her opinions and dissents to be solidly rooted in the Constitution; and 

WHEREAS, she was considered for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg celebrated her service by stating: "Among U.S. jurists, Shirley Abrahamson is the very best, the most courageous and sage, the least self-regarding. Her speeches and commentary inspire others to follow in her way. She never forgets the people law exists (or should exist) to serve."; and

WHEREAS, with 535 majority or lead opinions, 493 dissents, and 43 years of service, Justice Abrahamson may be the single most influential woman in Wisconsin history; and

WHEREAS, the list of honors and accolades Justice Abrahamson received during her tenure on the Wisconsin State Supreme Court now serve as a reminder to us all of how much we will miss her serving on the Court;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the City of Madison extends our heartfelt appreciation and continued respect for Justice Shirley Abrahamson and declares June 18, 2019 to be Justice Shirley Abrahamson Day in the City of Madison.