Upcoming Wisconsin elections:
  • February 19: Wisconsin presidential primary
  • April 1: Supreme court election



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Voter information
To vote in Wisconsin, you need to be registered which you can do through your municipal clerk's office or at your polling place on election day.

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Voter registration application (PDF)

Absentee voter application (PDF)

Municipal clerk contact info (PDF)

ID requirements for registration

More voter information

Candidate and Voter Info


Candidate:
Shirley S. Abrahamson
Office:
State Supreme Court
Party:
Non-partisan
Address:
P.O. Box 2378 ,
Madison WI 53702-2378
Phone:
(608) 222-8806

Related websites:
Campaign Finance

Opponents:

Campaign Web site:
abrahamson2009.com/

Biography

(from candidate Web site)

Shirley Abrahamson has led the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the state court system as Chief Justice since 1996. U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, a Wisconsin native, presided over her swearing-in ceremony as Chief Justice.

The seven-member, elected Court has been recognized by a prominent law review and other legal publications for the national impact of its decisions.

The Chief Justice recently marked her 50th anniversary as a lawyer, her 30th year on the Supreme Court, and her 10th year as Chief Justice. She began practicing law in Wisconsin with a small firm in Madison in 1962, and Governor Patrick J. Lucey appointed her to the Supreme Court in 1976. Since then, she has traveled to every county in the state, frequently meeting with Sheriffs, District Attorneys, Police Chiefs, and business and civic leaders to discuss the judicial system. Under her leadership, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has conducted oral arguments in 17 different cities to enhance access to the judicial process for everyone.

Wisconsin has always elected its Supreme Court Justices. Shirley won her first statewide election (after her appointment) in 1979, and she was re-elected in 1989 and in 1999, each time with opposition. In her last election, she won 63 percent of the vote, carrying every county but one. The Chief Justice lectures at the state's two law schools, at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and she speaks regularly at service organizations, civic clubs, and charitable organizations around the state. She has read stories to elementary school children, visited high school classrooms, spoken for the liberal arts at colleges across the state, and ridden with Law Enforcement on patrol in communities large and small.

 

  • Worked with the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice on criminal justice projects;
  • Served as president of the Conference of Chief Justices, an organization that brings all 50 states and territories together on judicial issues;
  • Been honored by the University of Wisconsin with its distinguished alumni award and by the American Bar Association and the American Judicature Society for her public service;
  • Chaired the National Institute of Justice's National Commission on the future of DNA Evidence;
  • Written extensively on victims' rights, criminal law, and the need for judicial independence and integrity;
  • Received honorary degrees from 15 colleges, universities, and law schools;
  • Featured in Great [Top 100] American Judges: An Encyclopedia (2003);
  • Winner of 2007 Wisconsin County Association "Friend of County Government Award", the Association's highest award, recognizing the Chief as having "a vision and commitment that is unparalled in this state."

Shirley and her husband, Seymour, have been married for 54 years. They have a son, a daughter-in-law, and a 4-year-old grandchild.

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