Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson of the Wisconsin Supreme Court will be the keynote speaker at the University of Oregon School of Law 2013 Commencement on Saturday, May 18, at Eugene's Hult Center for the Performing Arts.

Abrahamson, who was the only woman on the Wisconsin Supreme Court when appointed in 1976, is now the court's longest serving member.

She received her law degree from Indiana University Law School in 1956 and a doctorate of law in American legal history from University of Wisconsin Law School in 1962.

Prior to serving on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Abrahamson worked in private practice for 14 years and taught as a professor at University of Wisconsin Law School.

In 1976, Wisconsin Gov. Patrick Lucey appointed Abrahamson to a seat on the state's supreme court. She has served as chief justice since August 1, 1996.

Abrahamson is past president of the National Conference of Chief Justices and past board chair of the National Center for State Courts.

Abrahamson also served as chair of the National Institute of Justice's National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. She is the recipient of many honors and awards. Most recently, in 2010, she was awarded the John Marshall Award by the American Bar Association.

- from the UO School of Law