Theresa A. Nolan
MSA SC 3520-11871

Extended Biography:

Judge Theresa Nolan's path to the bench was slightly different than most.  She began college when her eleventh child was two years old.  The opportunity arose because after ten years at home she went to work for a law firm who sent her to college so that she could eventually attend law school.

She was in practice just four years before being appointed Master for Domestic Relations Causes, a quasi-judical appointment.  After five years she was appointed to the District Court and twelve years to the Circuit Court.

Judge Nolan reports that the most controversial issue she decided concerned the winnings of a lottery ticket.  One of the most humorous moments on the bench was when a litigant didn't know how she could understand a problem concerning children.  The most harrowing experience was when a stalker tried to get her in the courthouse to kill her because "God told [him] to."

When she was required to retire in 2000 at the age of 70, it seemed way too soon for her.  She loved every minute of her career on the bench and continued to handle pre-trial settlements for the court five or six times a month after her retirement, in addition to private mediation.  She discovered that there was a life after the bench.

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