Michael Wolff
| Michael Wolff | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Former Missouri Supreme Court Judge | |
| Assumed office 2000 | |
| Missouri Supreme Court Judge | |
| In office 2000-2011 |
Michael A. Wolff is a former associate justice of the Missouri Supreme Court. He was appointed to this position in August of 1998 and was retained by voters in 2000.[1] He resigned from the court on August 11, 2011.[2][3]
Education
Judge Wolff received his B.A. degree from Dartmouth College in 1967 and his J.D. degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.[1]
Career
Judge Wolff began his legal career in 1975 as an assistant professor. He became an associate professor in 1977 and began teaching at the Saint Louis University School of Law in 1980. He was then appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court in 1998 by Governor Mel Carnahan. He served a two-year term as the chief justice of this court from 2005 to 2007.[1]
Awards and associations
To see a complete list of Judge Wolff's accomplishments, visit: Judge Wolff's Biography
- 2007 "Lawyer of the Year," The Missouri Lawyers' Weekly
- 2007 Judicial Excellence Award, The Missouri Bar
- 2007 Distinguished Non-Alumnus Award, University of Missouri Law School
- 2007 James C. Kirkpatrick Award, Northwest Missouri Press Association
Opposition to Tort Reform Laws
In a concurring opinion to a per curiam judgment that invalidated a section of Missouri's tort reform laws that allowed retroactive application of limits on non-economic damages, Judge Wolff expressed concern about the constitutionality of damage caps in general. In his opinion, he indicates that he believes the damage caps to be unconstitutional legislative interference that violates the right to trial by a jury by interfering with the jury's decision making process. On the final page of his opinion, he sums up his argument as follows: "When the people adopted the state constitution, they provided that the right to trial by jury 'shall remain inviolate.' That is a remarkably clear statement of the importance of the right. If the jury's role is to be abrogated or impaired, then the people ought to approve it by amending their constitution."[4]
External links
- Your Missouri Courts, Judge Michael A. Wolff
- Wolff at the 14th Annual Justice Brennan Lecture on State Courts & Social Justice
- Project Vote Smart, Judge Michael A. Wolff (MO)
- Law.com, "Former state high court judge named dean at Saint Louis Law," March 6, 2013
- LexisNexis, "Missouri Supreme Court Judge Michael A. Wolff asks Obama to revise guidelines," January 12, 2009
- JDSUPRA.com, "Missouri Supreme Court Recognizes Public Employees' Collective Bargaining Rights," May 29, 2007
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Official biography of Judge Wolff (dead link)
- ↑ STLToday.com, "Missouri now accepting applications for Supreme Court bench," June 7, 2011
- ↑ Daily Reporter, "Appellate Judicial Commission taking applications to fill vacancy on Mo. Supreme Court," June 7, 2011
- ↑ Klotz v. St. Anthony's, 2010
