Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson
| Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson | |
|---|---|
| Attorney General of Guam | |
|
Assumed office January 5, 2015 | |
| Governor | Eddie Calvo |
| Preceded by | Leonardo Rapadas |
|
In office July 7, 1987 – July 4, 1994 | |
| Governor | Joseph Franklin Ada |
| Preceded by | ??? |
| Succeeded by | ??? |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
July 21, 1953 Guam, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Daniel Anderson |
| Alma mater |
University of San Francisco Santa Clara University |
| Website | Official website |
Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson (born July 21, 1953) is a Guamanian lawyer, judge, and politician. She serves as the Attorney General of Guam, a U.S. territory. She previously held the office from 1987 to 1994. She is the longest-serving attorney general in Guamanian history and was the first woman to serve as attorney general.[1][2]
Biography
Barrett-Anderson is the daughter of Jack Barrett and Concepcion "Chong" Cruz Barrett a former senator of the Guam Legislature. Barrett-Anderson earned her B.A. at the University of San Francisco and her J.D. at the University of Santa Clara School of Law. She was the first Chamorro woman to be admitted to practice law in Guam. She operated a private law practice on Guam until she was appointed Attorney General by Governor Joseph Franklin Ada in 1987. She later won election to the office.
She resigned as attorney general in 1994 to run for the Guam Legislature, where she served two terms.[1] In 1997, she was appointed to the Superior Court of Guam by Governor Carl T.C. Gutierrez, and she was confirmed as a judge by the Legislature in 1998.[2][3]
In 1990, she opposed the enactment of a law restricting abortion to cases in which the life of the mother is threatened. When it passed and became the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S., she said her role had "now shifted to one of law enforcement".[4][5]
In 2014, twenty years after she left the post of Attorney General, she ran again for the office and won, defeating incumbent Leonardo Rapadas by a wide margin in the November 2014 general election.[6]
In April 2015, Barrett-Anderson ordered the director of the Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services to begin processing same-sex marriage licenses on April 15, 2015, which would have made Guam the first U.S. territory to allow same-sex marriage.[7]
References
- 1 2 "General Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson". The Office of the Attorney General of Guam. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- 1 2 "Judge Elizabeth Barrett-Anderson". Unified Courts of Guam. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Before the 2012 Judicial Council of Guam Resolution No. JC12-002" (PDF). Island of Guam Courts of Justice. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ Lewin, Tamar (March 21, 1990). "Guam's Abortion Law Tested By A.C.L.U. Lawyer's Speech". New York Times. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ↑ "Guam to Drop Abortion Charges". New York Times. Associated Press. April 3, 1990. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- ↑ Salas, Jason (November 4, 2014). "Barrett-Anderson dominates AG race". KUAM News. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Guam to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples". USA Today. April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 14, 2015.