HR0518 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0518 LRB104 15872 MST 29092 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Judge Shelvin Louise Marie Hall, who passed away on October 8, 2025; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall was born in Cuero, Texas in 1948; she moved with her family to the west side of Chicago in the early 1950s; she graduated from Hampton University and the Boston University School of Law; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall trained in civil rights law with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund before co-founding the first Black female-owned law firm in the nation specializing in civil rights cases in Houston, Texas; she returned to Chicago in 1982 to serve as general counsel for the Illinois Department of Human Rights, overseeing civil rights, labor, and legislative matters; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall was appointed to the Cook County Circuit Court in 1991, where she presided over the Domestic Relations Division for four years, then led the Law Division from 1995 to 1999, handling some of the county's most prominent civil cases; she was appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court, First District in 1999, where she served until her retirement in 2020; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall was a respected leader in the legal community; she chaired the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association, a 100-year-old organization of Black lawyers and judges; during her tenure, she and the late legal icon Judge Leon Higginbotham opposed an invitation for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to address the 1998 National Bar Association convention, citing disagreements with his conservative positions on race and equality; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall served as chair of the Illinois Judicial Council, became the first woman judge on the executive committee of the Illinois Judicial Conference, and held leadership roles with the Cook County Bar Association, the National Bar Association, and numerous civic organizations; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall was inducted into the Glen Ellyn Area Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in 1995 and was an engaged member, involved in several public service programs and activities; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall was a lifelong member of Friendship Baptist Church and the daughter of the late Rev. Dr. Shelvin Jerome Hall, who served as pastor there for more than 50 years and advised Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his Chicago civil rights efforts addressing discriminatory housing practices; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall devoted her life to civil law and public service, sharing that legacy with her sister, retired Justice Priscilla L. Hall of the New York Supreme Court; and

WHEREAS, Judge Hall is survived by her husband, Dr. Ephraim Martin (BHM); her daughter, Dana Martin; and her sister, her niece, her church family, and a generation of legal professionals; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Judge Shelvin Louise Marie Hall and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Judge Hall as an expression of our deepest sympathy.