About Justice Weaver

Throughout Justice Elizabeth "Betty" Weaver's over 32 years of experience as a trial and appellate judge (Probate/Juvenile, Court of Appeals, Supreme Court), including 2 years as Chief Justice, she has maintained a proven record based on these major practices:
Exercising Judicial Restraint
Applying Common Sense

A fundamental tenet of her stand for jusitice is to hold wrong-doers accountable and responsible for their actions, while providing opportunities for them to discover and develop their own self-worth and to become law-abiding, productive citizens.

In exercising judicial restraint (interpreting, not making, the law -- judicial self-discipline), Justice Weaver has followed the law as constitutionally passed by the legislature and consistent with the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court. She has used the responsibility of interpretation, not as a sword to superimpose her own personal views (or those of special interest groups) on the law, but as a shield to protect the constitutional rights of the people and the constitutional acts of the legislative and executive branches.

Click here to read Michigan Court of Appeals Judge, Donald S. Owens’s Remarks as Presenter at the Induction of Justice Weaver into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame on October 25, 2005.

Click here to read Justice Weaver’s Remarks upon her Induction into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.

Press Release - 6/10/2005

Press Release - 1/13/2005

In November 2002, Justice Weaver won re-election for a second 8-year term on the Michigan Supreme Court.
This site provides information about her experience, credentials, principles, and major initiatives for the State of Michigan.

Check this site often for up-to-date press releases and other information about important work going on in the Supreme Court of Michigan.

Chief Justice Weaver's State of the Judiciary Message 9/28/00
Continued

Let me tell you of one such problem that touched my life as a probate judge. Years ago, the parents of 11-year-old Faith and her 10-year-old sister, Hope, were killed in a tragic auto accident. The sisters found themselves the subjects of a custody fight between their homespun grandparents living on a rural Leelanau County farm and their professional aunt, uncle, and young family living in an upscale area in Florida. There were those who presumed the obvious choice was the young Florida family.

It became my responsibility to decide, and after the testimony, I chose the grandparents, who personified caring, commitment, and common sense, and who I believed would be the best parents for Faith and Hope. Not long ago, Faith, now a successful Traverse City businesswoman, faxed me a newspaper article on proper parenting that she thought might be of interest, with this note.

"Dear Justice Weaver:

Someone left this article at work and I thought you might enjoy it. It was 25 years ago that you decided Grandma and Grandpa knew best, and they sure did! Hope and I are doing well -- both very busy with our lives.

Thanks again for being such a positive influence in our lives. Have a wonderful day. Faith"

Too often, the hard, sad business of much of what takes place in court and the formal language of the law obscures the essential caring nature of judging. Perceptions persist among the public nationwide that courts are too slow, too expensive, too confusing, too impersonal. And these perceptions are still too often true. But throughout Michigan you will find judges who can tell you their own "Faith and Hope" stories. These are the outcomes that nourish us in our work.

I come before you today with abundant hope and faith that we can continue to work together, to make the necessary improvements in our court system, in the name of justice, for the people of Michigan. As human beings, our different experiences and perspectives sometimes cause us to disagree about what justice demands in a given situation. But these occasional disagreements cannot overcome our common commitment to the purposes of justice, for this commitment is what allows us to live together, in civilized society.

I am ever mindful that what we in the judiciary most need is patience, meekness, compassion, and courage to "Do Right and Fear Not."

When faced with the responsibility of governing, Solomon made this appeal: "And now, O Lord my God .... (g)ive therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people ...." (I Kings 3)

I believe our sense of fairness and justice is woven into the very fabric of our being by our Creator. It is fundamental. It is complete. It is compelling. It is nonpartisan.

Thank you.

"What we in the judiciary most need is patience, meekness, compassion, and courage to 'Do Right and Fear Not.'"
Chief Justice Weaver
State of the Judiciary

"She is bringing a fresh, dedicated, incisive mind to the Michigan Supreme Court."
Judge Myron Wahls
Court of Appeals

"I know Betty Weaver. She threw me in jail....But I would vote for her, because she...straightened me out, and the sentence was just."
Former convicted juvenile offender

"Your judicial experience...was outstanding. Your leadership abilities...have been impressive. There is sound reasoning for my full confidence in you as a justice."
Mary S. Coleman
Chief Justice 1978-82

Judge Weaver has been recognized in many ways for her public service, including selection as one of five outstanding young women in Michigan by the Michigan Jaycees. It is a pleasure for myself to recognize Judge Weaver as a capable and devoted public servant.
G. Mennen Williams
Chief Justice 1982-86