[caption id="attachment_15037" align="alignright" width="300" caption="ISBA 3rd Vice President Paula H. Holderman (left) and retired appellate justice Gino L. DiVito (second from left) participate in a judicial symposium on the merit selection of judges."][/caption]
Forty years later, the debate continues on how Illinois should pick its judges. And yesterday’s comments from a judicial symposium are interchangeable with the comments from the delegates at the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention.
Legislators, judges, and bar leaders discussed the merits of electing or appointing judges at a judicial symposium Monday co-sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association. Other sponsors included the Chicago Bar Association, the Cook County Bar Association, the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois.
Everybody agrees with symposium panelist and House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, who said what Illinois needs is “an independent, impartial, and competent judiciary.” But there was no unanimity on how we get there.
ISBA 3rd Vice President Paula H. Holderman and retired appellate court justice Gino L. DiVito served as panelists and spoke in favor of an appointive system that includes nominating commissions.
Events
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October 6, 2010 |
Events | ISBA News
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October 4, 2010 |
Events
The Illinois State Bar Association is helping sponsor "Haiti: Past, Present and Future Prospects" on Thursday, Oct. 14 at IIT Kent College of Law, 565 W. Adams, Chicago. The event, presented by the Illinois Judicial Council and the Haitian American Lawyers' Association, begins with a reception and music at 5 p.m. , with the main forum at 6 p.m. RSVP by Friday, Oct. 8 to events@illinoisjudicialcouncil.org or call (312) 726-8775
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September 15, 2010 |
Events
The 2010 Unity Award Dinner and 8th Annual Swearing-In of Bar Presidents Ceremony will be held on Thursday, Oct. 7 from 5-9 p.m. at the Palmer House Hilton, 17 E. Monroe. Winston & Strawn Chairman Dan K. Webb will receive the Unity Award while Hon. Ruben Castillo, Judge, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, and Sandra S. Yamate, CEO, Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, with receive Advocate for Diversity Awards. Bar presidents will be sworn in by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Freeman, and veteran journalist and national media personality Bill Kurtis will serve as the master of ceremonies for the second year in a row. Proceeds of the event benefit the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, a not-for-profit organization established by judges and lawyers dedicated to the diversity of law school student bodies and the legal community, whose mission it is to provide scholarships, grants, and/or loans so that underprivileged and under-represented minorities be able to attend law school. “This unique event unites leaders of the legal profession who are unwavering in their commitment to making the Chicago legal community the most diverse in the country,” said Jessica A. O’Brien, co-chair of the event’s planning committee and special assistant attorney general at the Illinois Department of Revenue. Co-chairs include Jerold S. Solovy, chairman emeritus of Jenner & Block LLP, board member of the Diversity Scholarship Foundation, and last year’s Unity Award Honoree; Angela F. Williams, senior vice president and general counsel of the YMCA; and Robert A.
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September 14, 2010 |
Events
The Illinois State Bar Association is helping present "Judicial Selection in Illinois: A Judicial Symposium on Election and Appointive Systems" on Tuesday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. at the Chicago Bar Association Building, 321 S. Plymouth Court. Other bar associations helping present this event include the Chicago Bar Association, Cook County Bar Association, Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. Sponsors for this event include:
- CourtCall, LLC
- HeplerBroom, LLC
- Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP
- McKenna Storer
- Smith Amundsen, LLC
- Dykema
- Goldberg Weisman Cairo
- Craig & Craig
- Jump & Associates, P.C.
- John Marshall Law School
- Johnson & Bell, Ltd.
- Elite Deposition Services
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September 3, 2010 |
Events
The Ultimate SuperFan Getaway! Game dates: October 23rd & 24th, 2010!! A weekend of Chicago sports for the ultimate Chicago sports fan! You’ll receive: 1. A weekend for two at the Four Seasons Hotel, including Sunday brunch; 2. $250 gift certificate to Keefer’s Restaurant; 3. 2 Tickets to see the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday, October 23, 2010!! Section 114, row 1, seats 6 and 7, on the glass. Tickets include VIP parking in lot H and two passes to the Kettle One Club; 4. Two tickets to see the Chicago Bears v the Washington Redskins on Sunday, October 24th at noon. BIDDING is now at $2,000, with bidding increases in increments of $100. To place your bid, please call the IBF directly at 312.726.6072, or e-mail Liz Driscoll at the IBF at edriscoll@isba.org. Bidding status will be updated daily on our website at www.illinoisbarfoundation.org. Final bidding will be done at the Gala on October 15th.
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August 25, 2010 |
Events
The Illinois Judges Foundation is warming up for “Batter Up for Justice,” its second annual Chicago rooftop fundraiser in support of a summer judicial internship program for qualified law students. The benefit will begin at 5:05 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, at the Sheffield Baseball Club, 3619 N. Sheffield, across from Wrigley Field. A dinner buffet with unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks will precede viewing of the 6:05 p.m. baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants. Sponsored by the Lawyers’ Auxiliary Committee of the Foundation, the collegial outing will help provide full-time, minimum six-week internships and stipends to first- and second-year law students who qualify because of minority status or financial need. The Judges Foundation is a platinum sponsor of the coordinating American Bar Association Judicial Intern Opportunity Program. Participants include state and federal judges throughout Illinois. The “Batter Up for Justice” admission fee of $150 per person includes food and beverages before and during the game. Raffle prizes include a baseball jersey autographed by Ron Santo, a plaque with statistics of Chicago hockey star Jonathan Toews, and a variety of sports-related attire. The philanthropic event is open to the public, but space is limited. Reservations may be made by calling (312) 554-2008, or e-mailing ijf@chicagobar.org. Sponsorships at various levels are partly tax-deductible.
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August 16, 2010 |
Events | ISBA News
The Illinois State Bar Association welcomed a delegation from Ukraine last Friday to discuss the U.S. justice system. The visit was titled "Legislative Reform in the Criminal Justice System" and took place before a scheduled meeting of the ISBA Bench and Bar Section. Among those on hand for the meeting included ISBA member Alexandria Bell, of Johnson & Bell, Ltd., who immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine and the age of 19. Bell is pictured at right with members of the Ukrainian delegation and ISBA President Mark Hassakis (from left): Rostyslav Gerasymov, senior counsel to the chairman of the Committee on Justice; Bell; Elina Shyshkina, a member of Parliament; Iryna Mostova, head of the Department of Legistlation on Justice and President Hassakis.
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August 12, 2010 |
Events | ISBA News
The Illinois State Bar Association will have a tent at the upcoming Illinois State Fair in Springfield. The fair opened Thursday night and runs through Sunday, Aug. 22. The tent offers legal brochures for the public, a Legal Eagle quiz on Illinois legal history (prize for 80% and better) and an Abraham Lincoln photo opportunity for state fair patrons who want to put their face in Lincoln's image. There is also a laptop connected to the Illinois Lawyer Finder site that visitors can try out. Visitors can also receive giveaways including: the infamous gavel pencils, small notepads and Lincoln coloring books. More information on the state fair is available at www.agr.state.il.us/isf/
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August 10, 2010 |
Events
This Illinois Bar Foundation invites you to an evening at Busch Stadium to watch the St. Louis Cardinals take on the Chicago Cubs on Friday, Aug. 13. Tickets start at $135 and include entry into Redbird Row Private Party Room and selected food and drinks. Call (312) 726.6072, or e-mail Liz Driscoll at ldriscoll@isba.org.
- August 10, 2010 | Events | ISBA News
