Cathy Silak
| Cathy Silak | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court | |
|
In office February 25, 1993 – January 2, 2001 |
|
| Appointed by | Governor Cecil Andrus |
| Preceded by | Robert Bakes |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Eismann |
| Idaho Court of Appeals | |
|
In office August 1990 – February 1993 |
|
| Appointed by | Governor Cecil Andrus |
| Preceded by | Donald Burnett |
| Succeeded by | Karen Lansing |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
May 25, 1950 New York City, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Nicholas G. Miller |
| Children | 1 son, 2 daughters |
| Residence | Boise, Idaho |
| Alma mater |
New York University (B.A.) University of California (J.D. 1976) |
| Profession | Attorney, Dean |
Cathy R. Silak (born May 25, 1950) is the dean of the Corncodia University School of Law in Boise, Idaho. She is a former justice of the Idaho Supreme Court and the Idaho Court of Appeals.
Silak graduated from New York University in New York City with a B.A. in sociology and French literature, then attended the University of California in Berkeley, earning her J.D. in 1976 from its School of Law (Boalt Hall). After working in private practice in San Francisco and Washington, D.C. and as a U.S. attorney in New York City, she moved west to Idaho, her husband's home state, in 1983.
At age 40, Silak was appointed by Governor Cecil Andrus to the Court of Appeals in August 1990, the first woman to serve on Idaho's second-highest court. Less than three years later, she was elevated by Andrus to the state supreme court, succeeding Robert Bakes, and joined Linda Copple Trout as the first two women to serve on it.
Silak retained her seat in the statewide election (57.7%) in May 1994, defeating Wayne Kidwell, a future colleague on the court. Six years later, she was unseated by Dan Eismann (58.6%) in May 2000, the only defeat for an incumbent on the court since 1944. The previous autumn, Silak wrote the 3–2 majority opinion that upheld an earlier decision on wilderness area water rights, siding with the federal government, which became a key factor in the election campaign.
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