Justice Miller to receive George N. Leighton Justice Award

The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission is pleased to announce that it will honor Benjamin K. Miller, former Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, for his outstanding career and contributions as an attorney and jurist.  The presentation of the award will take place during a special session of the Illinois Supreme Court at 2:00 PM in the Illinois Supreme Court Courtroom, 160 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois, on June 14, 2010.  A reception hosted by the Illinois State Bar Association will follow the presentation ceremony. The award is known as “The Honorable George N. Leighton Justice Award” and is given each year to an attorney or jurist whose career represents the highest standards of the profession and is dedicated to public service.  In 2009, the inaugural award was given to its namesake, Judge George N. Leighton. RSVP to: confirm@illinoiscourthistory.org or 217.670.0890 extension 3 Photo ID required to enter the building. Justice Miller Justice Miller served as a justice on the Supreme Court of Illinois from 1984 to 2001, serving as the court’s Chief Justice from 1991 to 1994.  In that role as Chief Justice, Justice Miller brought a pro-active, forward-looking perspective to the Court.  In addition to authoring nearly 500 opinions, he instituted programs to combat the problems of domestic violence, worked for an aggressive evaluation process of all judges in Illinois, laid the groundwork for an improved system of judicial education that earned a reputation as a model for such programs around the nation, and worked to prepare the judicial system for changing demographic, economic, and technological forces in Illinois. During his time on the Illinois Supreme Court, Justice Miller participated in more than 2,000 cases and authored 487 opinions, including numerous landmark decisions.  His majority opinions included People v. Wilson, denouncing forced criminal confessions; People v. Lantz, upholding the constitutionality of the guilty-but-mentally-ill statute; and People v. Foggy, upholding the constitutionality of the statutory privilege for communications made by sexual assault victims to rape crisis counselors.  Justice Miller also wrote the Court’s opinion in Nichol v. Stass, recognizing limited immunity in suits brought by a child against foster parents; and Schassner v. Chicago & NW RR, affirming the judgment in favor of a child seriously injured on a railroad’s right of way. During his tenure on the Supreme Court, Justice Miller convened the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council to help improve the response of Illinois courts and agencies to matters of family violence.  He also convened the Conference on the Future and the Courts of Illinois, which brought together hundreds of lawyers, business persons and community leaders to measure the impact of demographic, economic and technological forces on the courts. As Chief Justice, Justice Miller expanded judicial performance evaluations statewide, adding non-lawyers to disciplinary hearing board panels that ruled upon attorney misconduct, and obtained amendments to the Code of Judicial Conduct clarifying the restrictions on political activity by judges and judicial candidates.  He also established the Special Commission on the Administration of Justice, Jerold S. Solovy, which produced two separate reports, one on the management practices and administration of the courts, and one on the state’s juvenile justice system. From 1961 to 1976, Justice Miller was engaged in the private practice of law in Springfield, primarily focusing on civil litigation.  In 1976 when Justice Miller was appointed a Circuit Court Judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, he left the practice for public service.  He was elected to that position in 1978, serving as presiding judge in the criminal felony division from 1976 to 1980.  On special assignment, he presided over the Pontiac Prison Riot trial in Chicago, stemming from the 1978 riot involving some 1,000 prisoners; the trial involved 17 defendants and was one of the longest and most complex criminal trials in the country.  In 1981, he was elected Chief Judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit.  He served in that capacity until 1982, when he was elected to the Appellate Court for the Fourth District of Illinois.  In 1984, he was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois. Justice Miller has been involved in many professional and civic organizations.  He received an Honorary Doctor of Law Degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.  He is the namesake of the Illinois Domestic Violence Coordinating Council’s coveted Justice Benjamin K. Miller Award, given to individuals who have played a significant role in addressing domestic violence.  Justice Miller has served as an adjunct professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Department of Medical Humanities since 1974. Justice Miller received a B.A. from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1958 and a J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1961.  He is a member of the Sangamon County Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association (former treasurer and member Board of Governors) and the American Bar Association (member of Bar Admissions Committee of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar).  A long-time advocate for battered and abused women, Justice Miller was a founding member of the Central Illinois Women’s Bar Association and the first member of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court. Since retiring from the Court, he has continued his outstanding career in the law, serving as Of Counsel at Jenner & Block. On the occasion of his retirement from the Illinois Supreme Court, Justice Miller said, "President Kennedy once remarked that change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.  Our system of law represents the finest aspects of American history and American culture.  Our devotion to fairness and justice, our belief in freedom and liberty, and our commitment to personal equality--these are the core values on which our nation was founded.” Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission was created in 2007 by the Supreme Court Historic Preservation Act and is charged as follows: The Commission shall assist and advise the Court in regard to the acquisition, collection, documentation, preservation, cataloging, and related matters with respect to historic aspects of buildings, objects, artifacts, documents, and information, regardless of form, relating to the Illinois judiciary. The Commission consists of nine members:  Jerold S. Solovy, Chair, Cynthia Y. Cobbs, Kim B. Fox, Hon. Michael F. McClain, Pauline Montgomery, Joseph A. Power, Jr., William J. Quinlan, Jane Hayes Rader, and Hon. James R. Thompson.