Cathy R. Silak (born May 25, 1950)[2] is the former dean of the Concordia University School of Law in Boise, Idaho.
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.
[5][6][7] 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.
[8] Silak retained her seat in the statewide election (57.7%) in May 1994,[9] defeating Wayne Kidwell,[2][10][11] a future colleague on the court.
[17][18][19] 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,[20] which became a key factor in the election campaign.