Bill Text: IL SR1072 | 2019-2020 | 101st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Mourns the passing of Justice Charles E. Freeman.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-05 - Resolution Adopted [SR1072 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2019-SR1072-Introduced.html
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1 | SENATE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to | ||||||
3 | learn of the death of Justice Charles E. Freeman of Chicago, | ||||||
4 | who passed away on March 2, 2020; and
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5 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was born in Richmond, Virginia on | ||||||
6 | December 12, 1933; he was the descendent of slaves who adopted | ||||||
7 | the "Freeman" surname to reflect their freedom, which was | ||||||
8 | gained before the Civil War; he earned his bachelor's degree | ||||||
9 | from Virginia Union University in 1954 and his Juris Doctor | ||||||
10 | from the John Marshall Law School in 1962; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman had a long and distinguished | ||||||
12 | professional and public career in Illinois; he served as an | ||||||
13 | assistant attorney general, an assistant state's attorney, and | ||||||
14 | an attorney for the Board of Election Commissioners; he also | ||||||
15 | engaged in the general practice of law from 1962 to 1976; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was appointed as an arbitrator to | ||||||
17 | the Illinois Industrial Commission in January 1965 and served | ||||||
18 | in that capacity until September 1973; he served on the | ||||||
19 | Illinois Commerce Commission from September 1973 to December | ||||||
20 | 1976; and
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21 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was elected to the Cook County |
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1 | Circuit Court in 1976 and served for 10 years, winning two | ||||||
2 | elections in the process; while a circuit court judge, he | ||||||
3 | became the first African American to swear in a Chicago mayor, | ||||||
4 | his good friend Harold Washington; he was elected to the | ||||||
5 | appellate court in 1986; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was elected to the Illinois | ||||||
7 | Supreme Court on November 6, 1990, becoming the first African | ||||||
8 | American to serve on the highest court in Illinois; and
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9 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman was selected as chief justice of | ||||||
10 | the Illinois Supreme Court on May 12, 1997, becoming the first | ||||||
11 | African American to serve in that role; he served until January | ||||||
12 | 1, 2000; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Justice Freeman retired on June 14, 2018, bringing | ||||||
14 | to a close a legal career that spanned nearly six decades; he | ||||||
15 | was the fifth-longest serving justice in Illinois Supreme Court | ||||||
16 | history at 27 years, six months; therefore, be it
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17 | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL | ||||||
18 | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of | ||||||
19 | Justice Charles E. Freeman and extend our sincere condolences | ||||||
20 | to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be | ||||||
21 | it further
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1 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
2 | presented to the family of Justice Charles Freeman as an | ||||||
3 | expression of our deepest sympathy.
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