The Object of Law is Justice: Women in the Judiciary; Part 2

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Program
The Object of Law is Justice: Women in the Judiciary
Segment
Part 2
Producing Organization
Wisconsin Public Radio
WHA (Radio station : Madison, Wis.)
Public Affairs Media Center, Inc.
Contributing Organization
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia (Athens, Georgia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip-e486d5d7145
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Description
Program Description
"'The object of law is justice.' With this short sentence, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson dismisses the notion that a judge's gender affects the decisions he or she may make. "But Justice Abrahamson's opinion is a matter of considerable debate in legal and scholarly circles. 'The Object of Law is Justice' brings this question to the public through intimate conversations with thirteen women who have served as judges in Wisconsin courts. From Olga Bennett, the state's first woman judge, elected in rural Dunn Country more than 20 years ago, to Justice Abrahamson, one of the country's most respected jurists, these women tell the engaging, highly personal stories of their lives and their careers. Why did they decide to study law? What was it like to be the only woman in a law school class? How did they become judges? How do they combine marriage and motherhood with their careers on the bench? And do they think their gender affects the decisions they make' "The program includes interviews with male and female attorneys, male judges, and with Beverly Blair Cook, a political scientist who studies the judicial decision-making process. As the women's stories unfold, the listener is encouraged to reflect on whether the life experiences of these judges as law students and young attorneys, as wives, and as mothers, do not inevitably influence their views from the bench. "The articulate and very human woman judges bring questions of legal philosophy and public policy to life. They enable listeners to penetrate the aura of mystery that obscures the judiciary and its role in the legal system, and they inspire young women to consider legal careers. "'The Object of Law is Justice' has won awards from the Association of Women in Radio and Television and from Ohio State University. The program was first broadcast in 1984, and was rebroadcast on August 1, 1986."--1986 Peabody Awards entry. Speakers in this broadcast: Shirley Abrahamson, Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice; Martha Bablitch, Wisconsin State Court of Appeals; Olga Bennett, Wisconsin's first woman judge; Barbara Crabb, U.S. District Court Judge; Pat Curley, Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge; Vel Phillips, Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge; Moria Krueger, Dane County Circuit Court Judge; Donna Mazza, Dunn County Circuit Court Judge; Leah Lampone, Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge; Angela Bartell, Dane County Circuit Court Judge; [Vivi Dilwag], Brown County Circuit Court Judge; Janine Geske, Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge; Beverly Blair Cook, professor of political science, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Arlene Connors, Milwaukee Circuit Court Judge; Richard Bardwell, Dane County Circuit Court Judge; Karen Case, Milwaukee tax attorney and member of the Association for Women Lawyers; James E. Doyle, Senior Judge U.S. District Court; Alan Eisenberg, Milwaukee attorney; Sarah Skubitz, Menominee Tribal Court Judge.
Broadcast Date
1986-12-11
Asset type
Program
Media type
Sound
Duration
00:29:35.424
Embed Code
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Credits
Producing Organization: Wisconsin Public Radio
Producing Organization: WHA (Radio station : Madison, Wis.)
Producing Organization: Public Affairs Media Center, Inc.
AAPB Contributor Holdings
The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia
Identifier: cpb-aacip-44685cdd82e (Filename)
Format: 1/4 inch audio cassette
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Citations
Chicago: “The Object of Law is Justice: Women in the Judiciary; Part 2,” 1986-12-11, The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed July 16, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-e486d5d7145.
MLA: “The Object of Law is Justice: Women in the Judiciary; Part 2.” 1986-12-11. The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. July 16, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-e486d5d7145>.
APA: The Object of Law is Justice: Women in the Judiciary; Part 2. Boston, MA: The Walter J. Brown Media Archives & Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-e486d5d7145