Justice McMorrow to be chief for next 3 years
On Thursday, Sept. 5, Mary Ann G. McMorrow will become the 115th chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, and the first woman to hold that distinction.
The 1st District jurist was elected May 14 by her colleagues to succeed Moses W. Harrison II. He had announced on May 13 his plan to retire from the bench Sept. 4, four months before his term as chief would end, for personal reasons.
Justice McMorrow will serve for three years, a tradition that started in 1967. Before that, there had been different chief justice virtually every year since 1873.
Elected to the Supreme Court in 1992 and a candidate for retention in November, McMorrow is the 12th jurist to hold the third Cook County seat on the court since it was created in 1870. She succeeded William G. Clark, who had served since 1972.
The only woman in the class of 1953 at the Loyola University School of Law, the new chief justice was an assistant Cook County state's attorney when she was elected to the circuit court in 1976. She was assigned to the Appellate Court in 1985 and elected in 1986.
Justice McMorrow is a past president of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, a master bencher of the American Inns of Court at Northwestern University and a Dame of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
She has served on the boards of the Illinois Judges Association, the Loyola Law Alumni Association, the Catholic Lawyers Guild and Regina Dominican High School. A former member of the ISBA Committee on Professional Responsibility, she served on the Special Committee on the Future of the Courts Conference.
Justice McMorrow has received the Illinois Bar Foundation Fellows Award for Distinguished Service to Law and Society, the Myra Bradwell Award from the Women's Bar Association, and the Medal of Excellence from the Loyola Law Alumni.
In her December 1995 speech during the ISBA Supreme Court dinner in Chicago, she urged that the organized bar applaud its contributions to the profession and society only in "a spirit that comports with a determination to practice law in accordance with the highest standards of the profession."
She urged adoption of "a zeal on the part of attorneys and judges to improve the justice system so as to provide to the public not only the justice it deserves, but also the appearance of fairness and equity."
Law prof's advocacy earns Gertz honor
Prof. Ralph Ruebner of The John Marshall Law School has been an advocate for international human rights and against government abuse on many fronts.
For his continuing efforts on behalf of indigent criminal defendants and political prisoners as far away as the former Soviet Union, Ruebner will receive the ISBA's Elmer Gertz Award on Thursday, Oct. 3.
The presentation will take place during a reception and dinner that begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Mid-Day Club on the 56th floor of Bank One Plaza, Chicago. Judge William J. Bauer of the U.S. Court of Appeals will be the keynote speaker.
Co-sponsors are the ISBA Human Rights Section Council and the Blind Service Association, which will benefit from proceeds of the event. Call (312) 236-0808 for more information.
An individual who has demonstrated his commitment to the advancement of individual rights, civil liberties and helping under-served communities, Ruebner exemplifies attorney Elmer Gertz, for whom the award is named.
Gertz, who died in April 2000, received the ISBA Medal of Merit posthumously that year. The Human Rights Section Council subsequently created an award in his name with support from the Board of Governors.
Ruebner has drafted legislation that made Illinois the first state to criminalize international terrorism. He has testified in Congress on human rights conditions in Peru and presented papers on human rights topics at international conferences.
Working with the U.S. Agency for International Development, Ruebner represents John Marshall on the Law Consortium for Palestine Legal Education. He has visited the Palestinian territory to help the judiciary, law professors and students develop a new legal system.
A member of the board of managers of the Decalogue Society, he accepted a contribution from the organization on behalf of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society during its annual dinner July 28.
A John Marshall faculty member since 1981, Ruebner teaches criminal procedure, evidence and international human rights, and has directed moot court for 16 years. He is executive director of the school's Criminal Justice Clinic, which he organized in 2000.
As former head of the Chicago office of State Appellate Defender, he has the experience to teach law students in the clinic how to serve the legal needs of Illinois prisoners who claim to have been wrongfully convicted or sentenced.
A 1969 graduate of the Washington College of Law at American University, Ruebner is the author of "Illinois Criminal Trial Evidence," a 1986 work now in its fourth edition, and "Illinois Criminal Procedure," a 1987 work now in its third edition.
He lectures locally at bar association seminars and nationally for the American Academy of Judicial Education, for which he taught a civil evidence course at Harvard Law School in 1996.
Government lawyer ethics to be explored
A county attorney from Virginia and a public defender from Maryland are among panelists for the brown-bag luncheon seminar, "Ethical Considerations in Public Sector Law," from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, in the ISBA Chicago Regional Office.
Sponsors are the ISBA Committee on Government Lawyers and the American Bar Association Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division.
Sharon Elizabeth Pandak was appointed attorney for Prince William County, Va., in 1989 after nine years on the legal staff. She serves on the Virginia State Bar board and professionalism faculty and the Virginia Law Foundation council.
A graduate of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, Pandak is past president of the Prince William County Bar Association and the Local Government Attorneys of Virginia. She chairs the CLE Committee of the ABA Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division.
Maureen F. Essex, a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center who has been with the Maryland public defender's office since 1986, is director of training for about 800 lawyers and staff. She is immediate past chair of the ABA Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division.
Essex is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland School of Law, where she trains students in clinical methods and supervises them in court proceedings in Baltimore. She belongs to the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association.
Joining Pendak and Essex on the panel are Illinois attorneys Kathryn A. Kelly, Charles W. Gunnarson, Lynn E. Patton and Paul A. Logli. The moderator will be James J. Grogan, chief counsel for the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission and member of the ISBA Special Committee on Ethics 2000.
Kelly, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District, is secretary and newsletter co-editor of the ISBA Committee on Government Lawyers, a member of the Federal Civil Practice Section Council and past chair of the Committee on Women and the Law.
Gunnarson, assistant counsel of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in Springfield since 1992, chairs the Committee on Government Lawyers. He is a special assistant attorney general in water pollution matters.
Patton, senior assistant attorney general in the Opinions Bureau in Springfield, is past chair of the Committee on Government Lawyers, secretary of the Local Government Law Section Council and vice chair of the Committee on Bar Services and Activities.
Logli, the state's attorney of Winnebago County in Rockford, serves on the Committee on Government Lawyers and the Criminal Justice Section Council.
The registration fee of $25 includes materials and refreshments. To register for the seminar or obtain more information about the Committee on Government Lawyers, call Janet M. Sosin, (312) 726-8775.
Lake cruises, European getaways are Foundation Gala auction items
Last October, Bloomington attorney Charles E. Stuckey made a bid on a silent auction item during the Illinois Bar Foundation Gala dinner dance at the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago.
The item was an evening cruise on Lake Michigan aboard "Liberty," a 38-foot power cruiser owned by a friend of John W. Damisch, a member of the Bar Foundation board who donated the prize. To his surprise, Stuckey made the high bid.
The assistant general counsel for State Farm Insurance Co., Stuckey took the cruise June 25 with his wife and two children. As a bonus, each of them had a turn at the wheel.
The evening started in Montrose Harbor with dinner of char-grilled bratwurst on deck, with salad and refreshments. Katherine Damisch, the donor's granddaughter, was hostess.
As dusk approached, Paul Sauser, owner of the ship, maneuvered out of the harbor and onto the lake. The lights of the city and the Ferris wheel on Navy Pier were aglow as the Stuckeys headed for McCormick Place and turned back toward Montrose.
John Damisch, who serves on the ISBA Assembly with his son, Mark Damisch, enjoyed the enthusiastic report of the Stuckey trip so much that he has donated two Lake Michigan cruises for the silent auction at this year's gala.
The black-tie dinner dance will take place Friday, Oct. 4, in the Four Seasons Hotel, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with a reception and silent auction, followed by dinner.
A live auction also will be conducted on major items, such as three nights at the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris, three nights at the Kahala Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hawaii, and three nights at the Wyndham El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico.
In addition to such prizes as round-trip American Airlines tickets for Paris, Mexico and other destinations that will be auctioned, dozens of smaller items like the Damisch cruises will be on display for the silent auction.
Among them are autographed books, scripts and celebrity photos, theater and concert tickets, sports events and memorabilia, museum and athletic club memberships, dinner certificates, movie passes and hotel getaways.
A highlight of the evening will be presentation of the Bar Foundation's Distinguished Award for Excellence to Chicago attorney Mary Dempsey, commissioner of the Chicago Public Library.
Co-chairs of the Bar Foundation Gala are former Illinois Gov. James R. Thompson and Jayne Carr Thompson, along with David B. Sosin, a member of the foundation board and ISBA Assembly.
Levels of support for the gala are: Benefactor, $500 each or $5,000 per table of 10; Patron, $300 each or $3,000 per table of 10. To donate prizes, make reservations or contribute to the Bar Foundation, call executive director Susan M. Lewers at (312) 726-6072.
Equality group to honor ISBA for opposing bias
The Illinois State Bar Association is among the recipients of Legal Awards that will be presented by Equality Illinois during a benefit reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at Maggiano's Banquets, Clark and Grand, Chicago.
The statewide organization, which is active in securing basic civil rights for sexual minorities, will honor the ISBA Assembly for its vote in support of H.B. 101 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
The Chicago Bar Association will be recognized for creating a Committee on Legal Rights of Lesbians and Gay Men. Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and former chief judge Donald O'Connell will receive awards for encouraging gay judicial candidates.
The reception is organized by the Lawyers Committee of the Equality Illinois' Educational Project, which engages in a variety of activities intended to raise public awareness of issues confronting sexual minorities in the community and workplace.
Homewood attorney William J. Borah, a member of the ISBA Civil Practice and Procedure Section Council and the Labor and Employment Law Section Council, chairs the event. Proceeds will support educational purposes.
"Equality Illinois is proud to acknowledge the historic work and impact these judges and bar associations played in opening the door of opportunity to talented women and men," Borah said. "The gay community and society have benefited."
Contributions for attending the reception range from $50 to $200. Call executive director Joseph Cisneros, (773) 477-7173, for reservations.
Board schedules meetings during next two months
The ISBA Board of Governors will meet at 9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 11, in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Elgin, and Friday, Nov. 8, in the Peninsula Hotel, Chicago.
The ISBA Midyear Meeting will take place Dec. 12 to 14 at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Chicago, in conjunction with the annual Illinois Judges Association convention.
Meetings of the Board of Governors next year are scheduled Friday, Jan. 31, at the Park Hyatt Hotel, Chicago, and Friday, April 4, at the Par-a-Dice Hotel, East Peoria.
The board also will meet Wednesday, May 14, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Springfield. A legislative reception will follow at the Illinois Bar Center. The 127th Annual Meeting will take place June 19-22 at The Abbey on Lake Geneva, Fontana, Wis.