Justice Shirley Abrahamson, the first woman to serve on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, will not seek re-election next year. The 84-year-old justice issued a statement this afternoon with the announcement.
“For a variety of reasons, I have decided not to seek re-election. It is the right decision for me,” Abrahamson said in a statement today. “More importantly, it is the right decision for the state. I will encourage qualified candidates to seek election and to do so in a way that honors the independent and non-partisan tradition of the judicial branch in Wisconsin—though that tradition has been tested too often.”
Abrahamson’s first term began on August 6, 1976.
“When I joined the court, I was given a voice — a voice that I have not hesitated to use,” Abrahamson said in a statement. “The best expression of appreciation I can give the people who have elected and repeatedly re-elected me is to continue to speak with the clarity, forthrightness and compassion that come from a life I have tried to devote to service and to justice for all.”
Abrahamson says she intends to serve on the court through July 31, 2019.
