Full Text of SR1072 101st General Assembly
SR1072 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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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