Bill Text: IL HR0826 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the passing of Justice Charles E. Freeman.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 22-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-05-22 - Resolution Adopted [HR0826 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-HR0826-Introduced.html
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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Justice | ||||||
4 | Charles E. Freeman of Chicago, who passed away on March 2, | ||||||
5 | 2020; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was born in Richmond, Virginia on | ||||||
7 | December 12, 1933; he was descended from slaves freed by | ||||||
8 | Quakers before the American Civil War; he earned a Bachelor of | ||||||
9 | Arts in Liberal Arts from Virginia Union University in | ||||||
10 | Richmond, Virginia in June 1954; he earned his Juris Doctor | ||||||
11 | from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago in February 1962; | ||||||
12 | and
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13 | WHEREAS, Early in his professional career, Justice Freeman | ||||||
14 | served Illinois as an assistant attorney general, an assistant | ||||||
15 | state's attorney, and an attorney for the Board of Election | ||||||
16 | Commissioners while in private practice from 1962 to 1979; he | ||||||
17 | was appointed by then Governor Otto Kerner as an arbitrator to | ||||||
18 | the Illinois Industrial Commission in January 1965, where he | ||||||
19 | heard and wrote decisions on more than 2,000 work-related | ||||||
20 | injury cases; he served in that capacity until September 1973; | ||||||
21 | he was appointed by then Governor Dan Walker as a commissioner | ||||||
22 | on the Illinois Commerce Commission and served from September | ||||||
23 | 1973 to December 1976; and
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1 | WHEREAS, For 10 years, Justice Freeman served on the Cook | ||||||
2 | County Circuit Court, winning two elections in the process; | ||||||
3 | while a circuit court judge, he became the first African | ||||||
4 | American to swear in a Chicago mayor in 1982, his longtime | ||||||
5 | friend Harold Washington; he was elected to the Appellate Court | ||||||
6 | in 1986; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was elected to the Illinois | ||||||
8 | Supreme Court on November 6, 1990, becoming the first African | ||||||
9 | American to serve; he was selected as Chief Justice on May 12, | ||||||
10 | 1997 and served in that capacity until January 1, 2000; during | ||||||
11 | his tenure as chief justice, he oversaw improved efficiency of | ||||||
12 | the Family Violence Prevention program, the establishment of a | ||||||
13 | judicial web page, and the reorganization of the rotation of | ||||||
14 | assignments of appellate judges in the First Judicial District, | ||||||
15 | ending the practice that allowed appellate judges in Cook | ||||||
16 | County to sit on the same panel for their lifetimes; he retired | ||||||
17 | in 2018; and
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18 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was a member of the Cook County, | ||||||
19 | Illinois State, and DuPage County Bar Associations; he was also | ||||||
20 | a member of the Illinois Judicial Council, the Illinois Judges | ||||||
21 | Association, the American Judges Association, and the American | ||||||
22 | Judicature Society; he received numerous awards throughout his | ||||||
23 | career, including the Freedom Award from the John Marshall Law |
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1 | School, the Seymour Simon Justice Award from the Jewish Judges | ||||||
2 | Association, the Earl Burrus Dickerson Award from the Chicago | ||||||
3 | Bar Association, the Ira B. Platt Award, and the Presidential | ||||||
4 | Award from the Cook County Bar Association; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was known as a trailblazer with a | ||||||
6 | sharp legal mind, a gentleman, and a devoted family man; and
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7 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was preceded in death by his wife | ||||||
8 | of 50 years, Marylee; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman is survived by his son, Kevin | ||||||
10 | (Cami) Freeman; his grandchildren, Skye Marie Freeman and Miles | ||||||
11 | Charles Freeman; and his brother, James Freeman; therefore, be | ||||||
12 | it
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13 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | ||||||
14 | HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
15 | we mourn the passing of Justice Charles E. Freeman and extend | ||||||
16 | our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who | ||||||
17 | knew and loved him; and be it further
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18 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
19 | presented to the family of Justice Freeman as an expression of | ||||||
20 | our deepest sympathy.
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