Voters first elected Justice Elizabeth "Betty" Weaver, 69, a Republican from Glen Arbor, to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1994. She served as chief justice from 1999 through 2000. She was a Republican nominee again in 2002 and re-elected by voters for a second eight-year term.
Weaver was born in New Orleans and earned her law degree from Tulane University in 1965. She moved to Leelanau County in the late 1960s.
She received her teacher's certification from Central Michigan University and taught first grade at Glen Lake Community School and served as dean and teacher at the private Leelanau School.
Weaver was admitted to the Michigan Bar Association in 1973, elected to a partial term as Leelanau County Probate Judge in 1974 and re-elected to full terms in 1976 and 1982. She ran for and won a seat on the Michigan Court of Appeals in 1986 and was re-elected in 1992. She served there until her election to the state Supreme Court.
Weaver has served on the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice under three governors, and also was appointed to chair the Governor's Task Force for Children's Justice and the Trial Court Assessment Commission by Governors John Engler and Jennifer Granholm. She has served as chair of the State Bar of Michigan Juvenile Law Committee and as president of the Top of Michigan Probate and Juvenile Judges Association.
Weaver received several honors for her dedication to children, juvenile justice, and support for alternative courts. She was selected as one of five Outstanding Young Women in Michigan by the Michigan Jaycees and as one of Thirty Outstanding Women in Michigan by the Michigan Women's Commission. She received the "Michigan Champions in Childhood Injury Prevention: Lifetime Dedication to Children Award" in 2000, and in 2005 was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
She's an active member of her church, and her hobbies include golf, gardening, and floating down the Crystal River.
Region
Related Photos
-
Justice Weaver Jan-Michael Stump/Record-Eagle
Weaver: From New Orleans to Lansing
-
-
Housing project 'moving forward'
Traverse City commissioners recently approved what officials expect to be the last change in long-running negotiations to sell city property near the former railroad depot off Eighth Street to two affordable housing agencies.
Continued ... -
Septic tank tax appears inevitable
A $30 to $40 yearly tax assessment on properties with septic tanks in Grand Traverse County and Leelanau's Elmwood Township appears inevitable.
Continued ... -
DEQ seeks public input on Brown Bridge Dam removal
The state Department of Environmental Quality seeks public comment on Traverse City's request for a permit to remove Brown Bridge Dam and restore three miles of Boardman River channel.
Continued ... -
Man charged in Crystal Lake incident
A downstate man who attempted to evade authorities by jumping into Crystal Lake spent his Memorial Day weekend in jail.
Continued ... -
Traverse City to expand TC Saves energy program
The city is expanding a program designed to help residents save on their energy bills.
Continued ... -
Elk Lake boat launch closed for repairs
The Elk Lake boat launch located three miles south of Kewadin is temporarily closed for repairs.
Continued ... -
Suspect arrested in parking meter thefts
Police arrested a man they said stole parking meters in Traverse City.
Continued ... -
TC Central, West on another 'best' list
Two Traverse City high schools made another national list of the best in the country.
Continued ... -
Traverse City man faces theft charge
A Traverse City man faces a criminal charge after police believe he stole cash and other items from a friend's parents.
Continued ... -
Detroit chamber wants help for new campaign
The Detroit Regional Chamber is asking private companies to contribute $2 million a year for a new campaign to promote economic development in southeastern Michigan.
Continued ... - Tuesday, May 29, 2012
-
Video: 'Taps' at Memorial Day service at Oakwood Cemetery
An excerpt of horn player Don Sattler and drummer David Sattler performing "Taps" at the conclusion of the Memorial Day service at Traverse City's Oakwood Cemetery on Monday, May. 28, 2012.
Continued ... -
Memorial Day: Traverse City honors heroes
A Memorial Day ceremony included a recitation of the Gettysburg Address, a rifle salute, the playing of "Taps" and a speech from Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners Chairman Larry Inman.
Continued ... -
Get to work without using your car
- Monday, May 28, 2012
-
City to discontinue spring cleanup
City crews will stop collecting residents' clutter each spring.
Continued ... -
Terry Wooten: WWII soldier's story told in poems
Jack Miller, a survivor of the Bataan Death March and a POW during World War II, won't be in any Memorial Day parades today.
Continued ... -
Remembering the fallen veterans
Below is a list of military veterans from the region who died during the past year (May 28, 2011, through May 25, 2012).
Continued ... -
Memorial Day events
A roundup of Memorial Day-related events in northern Michigan:
Continued ... - Sunday, May 27, 2012
-
Travel season begins
Tourism analysts at Michigan State University project a 3 percent increase in Michigan travel volume this year.
Continued ... -
Restored cemetery to be honored on Memorial Day
The "Old Ones" buried in the once-overgrown and abandoned Onominese Indian Cemetery near Northport will be honored in a Memorial Day service and traditional re-dedication ceremony.
Continued ... - 2012 Memorial Day weekend event listing
-
Underwater archaeology school returns to NMC
People from around the world will dive deep into the study of underwater archaeology next month at Northwestern Michigan College.
Continued ... -
Change may be on the way for kindergarten cutoff date
State lawmakers are considering moving up the cutoff date for kindergarten to level the academic playing field for new students, but school officials in Traverse City said it's more important to focus on universal preschool.
Continued ... -
Paving under way on 6.5-mile stretch of Leelanau Trail
Cyclists soon find a much smoother ride from Traverse City to Suttons Bay.
Continued ... - Saturday, May 26, 2012
-
July 4 to sparkle for years to come
Local supporters saved the threatened patriotic pyrotechnics last year. Now, the group launched the nonprofit Traverse City Boom Boom Club to plan and pay for an annual Independence Day show.
Continued ... -
GT Road Commission won't renew Gillis' contract
Mary Gillis' bosses refused to renew her contract, so the Grand Traverse County Road Commission's manager has to figure out her next move.
Continued ...
-
