Quotes - Shirley S. Abrahamson

Shirley Abrahamson was known for her sharp wit and quotable quotes. Browse some of them below, or use the filters to find a quote on a specific topic.

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November 18, 1974

"A woman’s place is in the house—the State house, the courthouse, even the White House."

Attorney Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 9, 2008

“I hope you seek a world where our constitutional rights to freedom of speech, press, and litigation are protected. I hope you are committed to a world free from discrimination, a world free from poverty, and a world filled with justice and peace. Learning to live in a diverse society free from bias and prejudice might be the biggest challenge we face in this century.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

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March 27, 1999

“What’s abrasive to one guy is forthright, honest and to be admired by another guy. What’s abrupt to one person is not wasting a lot of time to another.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 7, 2008

"Nobody knows what activist judge means when they say it, and for the listener it doesn’t have any meaning. When you say somebody’s an activist judge, what you’re really saying is I don’t like that particular opinion. I think the people who use it think it’s a slur and it will ultimately take on their connotation."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 1, 1997

“Most of us began law school or entered the practice of law picturing ourselves as Atticus Finch, the fictional lawyer in To Kill a Mockingbird, whose representation of an unpopular criminal defendant required him to take a fresh look at legal services and at society. We saw ourselves, like Atticus, advocating for or in some way assisting people regardless of race, religion, financial status, unpopularity of the cause, or financial consequences to ourselves. . . . Let us reawaken the spirit of Atticus Finch in each of us. Let each of us take a fresh look at the justice system. And let all of us recommit ourselves to the ideal of making access to justice a reality for all.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

April 11, 1974

“My son came home from Franklin School one day with a paper about organizing baseball teams, which said ‘let’s get the guys out, sorry, no girls permitted.’ When he asked if he could join I said no and he asked ‘you mean because of the girls?’ And I said, ‘yes, how would you like it if it said no boys with brown hair and brown eyes permitted? That’s discrimination.’ He said it was OK with him—he’d play soccer where both boys and girls are allowed to play.”

Attorney Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

April 11, 1974

When opponents to the Equal Rights Amendment asked Shirley Abrahamson “How do you feel about men’s restrooms?” she replied: “How many people have homes that have segregated facilities? You have large parties, strangers come together, they all manage fine. No one goes home because they refuse to use your mixed ‘john.’"

Attorney Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 24, 1977

"Today, the best man for the job may be a woman. We may finally be on the verge of understanding that sexism is a social disease that can be eradicated. It’s not simple, but a solution must be found."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 8, 1989

“This campaign has been one of false charges and retracting. If my opponent retreats much farther, he’ll be in Michigan, I’m faced with a candidate who will say anything and do anything to get elected. He is a repeat offender.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

October 10, 1996

"I would strongly urge the women in the audience to consider a career in the judiciary. Judging seems to be tailor-made for women. Judging is physically light work—generally no heavy lifting is required. Judges are often heard to complain that they are overworked and underpaid, characteristics typically ascribed to ‘women’s work.’ And should a judge decide to bear a child, her robe is a perfect maternity dress."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 13, 1988

"In 1961, the Constitution allowed wiretapping, school prayer, and illegally-seized evidence to be admitted in court. Women could be thrown in jail for having abortions and could be excused from jury duty because of what was seen as their pivotal place in the American home. None of the Constitution’s wording has changed since then, but we’ve seen a big change in interpretation. It’s inevitable, and not necessarily a bad thing."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 13, 1988

"You can combine family and careers, although you will never hear a male lawyer being asked how he manages to combine marriage with a career."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

September 6, 1998

“I always try and sit next to somebody at a dinner who seems to have good taste because whatever they order from the menu, I’m going to order so I don’t have to make another decision.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 12, 1977

"No one should apologize for the lifestyle he or she chooses. We make the right decision for the right time."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 24, 1977

"Women should be free to do what they want. For 15 years I had to apologize because I was working. Now housewives apologize to me because they’re not. It’s topsy turvy."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

November 18, 1974

"I always tell guys who feel threatened economically that they shouldn’t let on how they feel. I tell them if they’re weak and frightened, women will sense that weakness and pounce on them. I tell them that they should welcome these successful women and show that they are strong enough and self-confident enough to handle it."

Attorney Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

June 2, 1977

"Equality of men and women means eliminating sex stereotypes and looking at the individual. Just as it is unacceptable for the law to force all women into the mold of homemaker, it is similarly unacceptable to treat all women upon divorce as per se self-sufficient bread winners in an open, full employment job market."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

April 15, 1985

"The hand that rocks the cradle ought to rock the boat. As we move to maturity, we redefine the roles for ourselves and redefine those of our husband, father, mother and children."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

September 4, 1976

"I may be the first woman justice, but I’m clearly not the last."

Attorney Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

July 1, 1996

“The future of the justice system depends largely on the public’s continued confidence in the courts. When the courts truly serve the community, public trust in the justice system will grow.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 24, 1977

Asked by a second grader: "How does it feel to be a girl justice?" “Fine. The boy justices treat me great."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

October 28, 1985

"Historically, women have been outsiders to the political system. Now that we have the vote and the promise of equal opportunity, we must make a special effort to help other outsiders—the old, the poor, the differently-abled, members of racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural minorities. We should try to ensure that in our judicial system, and in all facets of our government, everyone is treated with respect and dignity."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

August 21, 1996

"If you want to take the law into your own hands, hug a judge."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

December 20, 1976

“If an idea has merit, one person can change the course of his or her family, the community, state, country, or the world.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

December 17, 2000

"Without an independent judiciary, none of us in the United States has a fair chance in court. That is what we must protect."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

December 7, 1997

"Judges’ vast power over lawyers and litigants sometimes brings forth judges’ arrogance, not humility."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

September 28, 1995

“[I]f you want to raise the hackles of judges, you call the judiciary an ‘agency.’ You just don’t do that. We are—and this becomes very important—a separate branch of government, a co-equal branch of government, maybe the smallest of the branches of government. Maybe that’s why when you start the ‘agency’ bit the judges take out their black robes, start to don’em, yell 'separation of powers,' 'inherent authority,' and 'we’ll get you.' That’s because we feel boxed in by this concept of agency.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 4, 1985

“As I left the courthouse, I felt the awesome power of the jury, sitting in judgment of our fellow man, needing to give no reason for our verdict, but having the power to clear his name in the community or send him to jail.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 4, 1985

“I vowed nine years ago not to get used to justice only from the perspective of the court. The view from the jury box could perhaps be the best view of all.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 13, 1988

"The public needs lawyers who love the law and are committed to the idea that the profession serves the needs of the public to whom we are responsible. We have to work for a world free of crime, free of drugs, free of poverty, and free of bigotry—a world of justice and peace. One person can make a difference. And when the roll is called I hope that person will be you. I urge that you work toward leaving a better world to your children than the world we pass on to you."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 13, 1988

"The measure of a lawyer is the ability to assimilate, to think clearly, and to communicate persuasively and precisely. Legal competency also includes qualities of sensitivity, understanding and compassion."

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

October 27, 1987

"Networking is very important but we must realize that a women's network includes everyone. We don't want to make the mistake of excluding people from the network. Some of the best 'old girls' are 'old boys.'"

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

April 11, 1974

Referring to a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision holding that girls cannot be newspaper carriers: “I have a 10-year-old son and if it is ‘too dangerous' for your big 10-year-old daughter, why should I or the state allow my 10-year-old boy to do it. I’m just as concerned about my little boy being molested as you are about your daughter. We have to look at the girl and the boy individually and determine which one can handle themselves. Maybe it’s too dangerous for children under 32!”

Attorney Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

April 8, 1988

“The charge to each of us as citizens is to continue our efforts to bring us closer to equal opportunity for all persons, on the law books and in life.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

September 28, 1995

"The concept that legislators and judges don’t understand each other and don’t communicate is really quite an old one. Since judges are birds of justice who fly backwards, always looking at precedent, I figured I’d have to do something judge-like and quote Benjamin Cardozo, who in the 1920s said the legislature and the courts move in 'proud and silent isolation.'"

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

September 16, 1985

“I seem to be receiving more requests than usual for public speaking. I suspect that the news that I’m a cheap date—or, as you put it, that I accept no honorariums—accounts for this surge in my popularity, but nevertheless I am always flattered to be invited.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 7, 2008

"The point of having several people on the court is to have differing experiences, different viewpoints, different opportunities to have looked at various aspects of the law. If everybody always agreed, we could have a one-justice court and we’d be overpaying six."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

February 20, 1999

“I hope this election is not going to be about aerobics. I have been introduced across the state as Shirley ‘The Body’ Abrahamson.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

September 6, 1998

“The toughest decision I’ve made is whether to give my kid the car keys when he was 16.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 24, 1988

“The people must govern this country; wisdom from the bench, wisdom from public officials is not a substitute for the common sense and moral commitment of a concerned citizenry.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

April 24, 1997

"The third branch is the least understood branch of government. If we are able to maintain the respect of people for the work of the courts, we must ensure that our partnership with the public is a strong one. We can strengthen that partnership by acknowledging that the litigants and the bar are consumers of our services, and by looking at our roles from the perspective of those who appear before us and that of the entire community we serve."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

October 9, 1985

“Each of us must work to give the majestic phrases of the constitution—due process of law, equal protection of the law—real meaning to every person. We are each called upon to perform our part in a constitutional democratic system. Each of us in our own way has a firm obligation to do whatever can be done to achieve the ultimate objective of a just and humane society.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 28, 2008

In response to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor lamenting that barely one-third of Americans can name all three branches of government: "I bet you they can name all three stooges."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

September 24, 1996

“To ensure a truly just legal system, one that reflects the history and hopes of this state, there must be greater public participation in the justice system.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 17, 1983

“There is a general consensus that there is too much litigation, yet many people do not have access to the judicial system, because they find it costly, cumbersome and slow. What is surprising is that we don’t have even more cases. Most grievances aren’t taken to court . . . There can never be ‘too much litigation’ when an entire class of people, the poor, or even the middle class, cannot afford to take their grievances to court.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 4, 1985

“The jury has changed through the years and will continue to change. But the determination of guilt or innocence of men is too important to be trusted to trained men. For those very important issues, the jury uses 12 strangers off the street, just as the founder of Christianity did many years ago.”

Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

May 9, 2008

"Law is the principal means of knitting together our diverse cultures and people."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

March 27, 1999

"I certainly believe that criminals ought to be apprehended, tried, convicted and put in prison when necessary. And a lot of times it is necessary. But we are a country of laws. And we do all of that according to laws. And that’s what judges are there for."

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

September 25, 1996

“I cannot remember people’s names. That’s why I call my husband Honey.”

Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

November 18, 1974

“When someone tells me women don’t stand much of a chance of winning an election, I’ve got some statistics for them. According to my own personal survey, about half the men who run for public office lose. Surely women can do at least that well.”

Attorney Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0

April 11, 1974

“There is nothing to say a woman can’t work while she’s pregnant. Our mothers and our grandmothers did it—they all worked in their home without all the modern conveniences we have today, or helped in the fields, delivered their babies, and in two days were back in the field.”

Attorney Shirley S. Abrahamson

By admin0