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Forty-three years of justice inspiring legions of law graduates

Changemaker | Shirley Abrahamson | 1933-2020

Portrait of Shirley Abrahamson painted by Julie Heffernan in 2019 to commemorate Abrahamson’s years as a lawyer. - Courtesy of 

When she retired in 2019, Shirley Abrahamson had served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 43 years – making her the longest-serving justice in state history. Appointed to the state’s highest court in 1979, Abrahamson was not only the first woman on the court but also its first woman Chief Justice. As a changemaker, Justice Abrahamson paved the way for women in the field of law.

The daughter of Polish immigrants, Abrahamson was raised to believe she could achieve anything she put her mind to doing. In 1956, she graduated from Indiana University Law School as the only woman in her class. After moving to Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, Abrahamson earned an S.J.D. (or doctorate in Judicial science) at the University of Wisconsin (U.W.), Madison. Afterward, she joined the U.W.  Law School faculty as a lecturer and became the first woman attorney at law firm La Follette, Sinykin, Doyle & Anderson. She became a named partner and practiced law there for 14 years.

In 1976, when Governor Lucey appointed her to fill a vacancy, she became the first woman on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. After her governor appointed term came to close, Abrahamson was elected by the people of Wisconsin to a 10-year term in 1979. She continued to win re-election in 1989, 1999, and 2009. In 1996, Abrahamson became Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court – the first woman to hold that position. By the time she retired, the women composed a majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.

Beginning her career when only 3 percent of law school students were women, Justice Abrahamson lead the way as a changemaker in the legal field achieving many “firsts” for woman. With her death in 2020, she left an enduring legacy of persistence, judicial service, accountability, and scholarship.

Sources: Forward, Joe. “Shirley Abrahamson: A Legacy of Judicial Service in Wisconsin”, Wisconsin Lawyer; May, 2019. 

Learn More:

• Another Time's Norms: The Antiquated Belief of a Chief Justice

• Legacy Committee Naming and Dedication of Retired Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson Reading Room