Chief Justice Patience Roggensack
A member of the state Supreme Court denies she has created turmoil, in the midst of an ongoing leadership dispute among justices. In a federal court filing, newly-elected Chief Justice Pat Roggensack outlined the steps she has taken to guide court staff on the transition, after four conservative members of the court voted to name her to the position at the end of April.
The filing comes ahead of a scheduled court hearing Friday morning in a lawsuit filed by Justice Shirley Abrahamson, who is challenging the implementation of a state constitutional amendment that changed the selection process for naming the chief justice. Abrahamson held the position prior the amendment’s passage in April, and argues who holds the title should remain based on seniority until her current term ends in 2019.
Earlier this week, Justice Ann Walsh Bradley argued in a court filing that the court system is in a “state of upheaval” because of uncertainty over the chief justice, while Justice Pat Crooks suggested that the federal courts set up a more orderly transition process. In Roggensack’s filing, said she her actions were meant to “assure efficient court operations.”