NEWS RELEASE

The National Center for State Courts
300 Newport Avenue · Williamsburg, Virginia  23185

Contact:
Lorri Montgomery
Communications Manager
The National Center for State Courts
757.259.1525 or lmontgomery@ncsc.dni.us 

Wisconsin's Chief Justice Named Chair
of National Court Reform Organization  

Williamsburg, VA (July 29, 2004) – Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson has been named Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), succeeding Chief Justice of California Ronald M. George. At the same time, Abrahamson also was named president of the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ), a national organization that represents the top judicial officers of the 50 states and U.S. territories, and of which the National Center serves as executive staff. Both positions are one-year terms. The appointments were made during the National Center’s Board meeting and CCJ’s annual meeting, July 25-29 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“We are honored that Chief Justice Abrahamson has moved into a leadership role with the National Center and in the nation’s judicial community,” said Roger K. Warren, president of the National Center. “She is an outstanding leader and positive force, and her knowledge and experience are invaluable to the National Center.”

“Being chair of the National Center carries very special meaning for me, as I recently was privileged to assist in the search for the Center’s new president,” said Chief Abrahamson, who recently headed a national search committee that in April selected Mary McQueen, Washington State Court Administrator, as the National Center’s new president. McQueen’s appointment is effective Aug. 1.

Chief Justice Abrahamson is not new to the National Center or to CCJ. For years, she has diligently worked to promote several key NCSC initiatives, such as improving the judicial selection process and strengthening public trust and confidence in the courts. An NCSC Board member since 2002, Chief Abrahamson

Chief Abrahamson serves as the Conference of Chief Justice’s representative to the American Bar Association’s Center for Professional Responsibility and American Inns of Court. She also serves as CCJ’s representative to the ABA’s Central and East European Law Initiatives (CEELI) and has been a leader of justice initiatives internationally. She became Wisconsin’s Chief Justice in 1996, and has served on the bench since 1976, at which time she became the first woman named to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. 

The National Center, headquartered in Williamsburg, Va., is a non-profit court reform organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to the state courts. The National Center, founded in 1971 by the Conference of Chief Justices and Chief Justice of the United States Warren E. Burger, provides education, training, and technology, management, and research services to the nation’s state courts. The National Center also is taking the lead on several key issues facing the justice system. For example, it has established a major civil justice initiative, a multi-year project that is examining best practices in civil case management and how complex litigation procedures can be improved. Other national initiatives being driven by the National Center include judicial selection reform and increasing citizen participation in jury service.  

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