Sue Fieber (Judicial Assistant, 1992-1999)

As you all know, Justice Abrahamson had a new crop of interns from the UW law school every semester. Each one of them had the opportunity to work on an opinion with her. But she made clear to them that the finished product would be hers and hers alone. One guy just couldn’t get that straight. Over lunch one day, he asked whether he could tell his friends that he had had a hand in a particular opinion. She said absolutely not. But he wouldn’t let it go. He said, “In my heart, can I know that I worked on this opinion?” She gave him her most beady-eyed stare and in her most low, measured voice said, “In your heart, you’ll know that it is MY opinion.” I think he finally got it then.