Long-Time Judicial Advocate and Supreme Court Justice Passes Away

Former Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth "Betty" Weaver, known for her staunch judicial temperament and freely speaking her mind, has died at the age of 74.

A New Orleans native, Justice Weaver graduated from Newcomb College and was top 10 in her law class at Tulane University Law School. She moved to Leelanau County in the 1970s and became a dean and French teacher at the Leelanau School. Weaver subsequently worked as a first grade teacher at Glen Lake Community School and continued to practice law.

She served as a probate judge in Leelanau County from 1975 to 1987 and a Michigan Court of Appeals judge from 1987 to 1995. In 1994 Weaver, a Republican was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court, where she served as Chief Justice from 1999 to 2001. She was reelected in 2002 and remained a justice until she resigned in August 2010.

Her rise to the top spot on the Michigan Supreme Court came in 1999 where she was elected unanimously as Chief Justice. She was just the third woman to serve in the post and known as a swing vote on the high court, typically joining the conservative justices when ruling in criminal cases but taking a more liberal view of the law in civil matters.

Always one to speak her mind, Justice Weaver became a controversial figure on the court, and was at times critical of her colleagues accusing them of taking a very conservative activist role when rendering opinions. She went as far as accusing justices of overturning longstanding precedents even if those precedents were not necessarily part of the argument before them.

After retiring from the Court in August 2010 and up to the time of her death, Justice Weaver has been an outspoken advocate for Court reform. Although at times controversial, Justice Weaver was an intelligent and honest asset to our state and will be missed.

posted by PAA Online , Friday, April 24, 2015 2:40 PM
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