The American Judicature Society honored Abrahamson with its first ever Dwight D. Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence because her opinions made clear that the bench, bar, and community could entrust her with the most complex cases of the most far-reaching import. During marathon research and writing sessions, Abrahamson taught her craft to scores of law clerks and judicial assistants. Explore their firsthand accounts of what it was like to work in her chambers.
Megan Sanders (2014-15)
While I was clerking for the Chief, the state constitution was amended to enable the justices to elect their chief. They day after the election, there was a vote, and the Chief was no longer the Chief (though naturally we still called her “Chief” and even answered the phones that way). She did not show even a hint of sadness or frustration in response to this unprecedented event. Instead she filed a lawsuit and said to whoever called her cell, “They gave me lemons and I’m making lemonade.” Her reaction that day was a good summation of her personality — […]
Eli Best (2011-2012)
I am grateful to have started my career clerking for Chief Justice Abrahamson. She was a generous mentor and maintained incredibly good humor despite the intense demands and challenges of the job. I was inspired by her passion for reaching a fair, defensible result in every case and by her boundless commitment to serving the public. Chief Justice Abrahamson inspired me to become a judge and I was lucky to know her.
Matthew Splitek (2007-08, 2008-09)
Since clerking, I have been a litigator at Quarles & Brady in Madison, where I live with my wife and three kids. And all of that actually traces to my time with the Chief. I’d originally planned to leave Madison for a job in D.C. after my clerkship ended. But a few weeks in, the Chief asked me to stay for a second year, when she’d be running for reelection. A bit after I said yes, it occurred to me that going two years without meeting anyone outside the office might be a bad idea. This resulted, unexpectedly, in my […]
Noah Rosenthal (2005-06)
I worked late with the Chief (always “the Chief” to me) 5-6 days a week, except when she was traveling. As she joked more than once, by day, she was the Chief Justice Abrahamson. At night she was Justice Abrahamson. Most of her case work gone done after hours. At least in those days, her clerk’s office had two desks. During the days, the externs from University of Wisconsin, Marquette and Northeastern would rotate sitting in the other desk because it was nicer and gave them better access to the justices than the windowless extern office upstairs, though it was […]
Megan Sanders (2014-15)
While I was clerking for the Chief, the state constitution was amended to enable the justices to elect their chief. They day after the election, there was a vote, and the Chief was no longer the Chief (though naturally we still called her “Chief” and even answered the phones that way). She did not show even a hint of sadness or frustration in response to this unprecedented event. Instead she filed a lawsuit and said to whoever called her cell, “They gave me lemons and I’m making lemonade.” Her reaction that day was a good summation of her personality — […]
Eli Best (2011-2012)
I am grateful to have started my career clerking for Chief Justice Abrahamson. She was a generous mentor and maintained incredibly good humor despite the intense demands and challenges of the job. I was inspired by her passion for reaching a fair, defensible result in every case and by her boundless commitment to serving the public. Chief Justice Abrahamson inspired me to become a judge and I was lucky to know her.
Matthew Splitek (2007-08, 2008-09)
Since clerking, I have been a litigator at Quarles & Brady in Madison, where I live with my wife and three kids. And all of that actually traces to my time with the Chief. I’d originally planned to leave Madison for a job in D.C. after my clerkship ended. But a few weeks in, the Chief asked me to stay for a second year, when she’d be running for reelection. A bit after I said yes, it occurred to me that going two years without meeting anyone outside the office might be a bad idea. This resulted, unexpectedly, in my […]
Noah Rosenthal (2005-06)
I worked late with the Chief (always “the Chief” to me) 5-6 days a week, except when she was traveling. As she joked more than once, by day, she was the Chief Justice Abrahamson. At night she was Justice Abrahamson. Most of her case work gone done after hours. At least in those days, her clerk’s office had two desks. During the days, the externs from University of Wisconsin, Marquette and Northeastern would rotate sitting in the other desk because it was nicer and gave them better access to the justices than the windowless extern office upstairs, though it was […]
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