Past Events

PAST EVENTS

Memorial Service for Judge William T. Hart – August 4, 2023

The Honorable William T. Hart

1929 – 2023

James Benton Parsons Memorial Courtroom,

Twenty-Fifth Floor

Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse

219 South Dearborn Street

Chicago, Illinois

Friday, August 4, 2023, at 3:30 p.m.

People Who Care After 20 Years: Looking Back at the Landmark Rockford School Desegregation Case

Presented by the P. Michael Mahoney Chapter of the Federal Bar Association

Stanley J. Roszkowski United States Courthouse, Rockford, IL 

Tuesday, June 7, 2022 — 1:00pm – 4:00pm 

Opening remarks by Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer

Panelists include: Judge P. Michael Mahoney, Justino Petrarca, Matthew Piers, Tom Lester, and Robert Fagan

The Chicago 7 Trial 50 Years Later: A Conversation with Trial Prosecutor Richard Schultz

Free Virtual Seminar

1.5 Illinois CLE Credit Hours pending approval

Tuesday, October 20, 2020
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

The Chicago 7 Trial was one of the most famous, and infamous, trials ever to take place in a Chicago courtroom.  Now, 50 years after the verdict, and days after the release of a new blockbuster film on Netflix, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Federal Bar Association -Chicago Chapter, and the Seventh Circuit Bar Association are proud to present a conversation with the last living member of either trial team –  former Assistant United States Attorney Dick Schultz.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin and U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cole interview Mr. Schultz as he takes us through all of the hard-to-believe moments of one of the most talked about trials in American history.

To register, go to: https://www.fedbarchicago.org/event/chicago-7-trial-2020/

The Northern District of Illinois Court Historical Association, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the Seventh Circuit Bar Association sponsored A “Chilling Spectacle”: Greylord, Gambat, and the Unmasking of Judicial Corruption on Tuesday, December 3, 2019 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Reflections from the Bench at the Court at the Heart of America: Judicial Interview Series – Judge Charles P. Kocoras

September 19, 2019 – 3:00pm to 4:30pm 

               Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, Ceremonial Courtroom 2525                     219 S. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 

Click here to view video of the Judge Kocoras interview event

Bicentennial Presentation

Changing the Landscape: Seminal Public Impact Decisions of the Northern District of Illinois

June 26, 2019  — 3:30pm to 5:00pm 

U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois – Ceremonial Courtroom – 25th Floor, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL

Bicentennial Presentation

“It Would Be Inhumane and Cruel:” A Brief History of Immigration Law and the Bold Decisions of Judges from the Northern District of Illinois, 1907-1940 — a talk by Professor Felice Batlan

June 18, 2019  — 3:30pm to 4:30pm 

U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois Court History Museum – 21st Floor, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL

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Bicentennial Presentation

Reflections from the Court at the Heart of America: Judicial Oral History Project 

An Interview with Judge William J. Bauer: Reflections on a Six-Decade Career in Public Service in the Law

June 13, 2019  — 3:00pm to 4:30pm 

Courtroom 2141, Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL

The text of Judge Bauer’s Oral History is available athttp://www.lb7.uscourts.gov/oralHistories/BauerOralHistory.pdf

Bicentennial Presentation  –  April 9, 2019                                        “Rivers of Commerce: The Illinois Federal Courts as the Umpires of Antebellum Union”

In honor of the 200th anniversary of the federal courts in Illinois, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Northern District of Illinois Court Historical Association presented on April 9, 2019, “Rivers of Commerce: The Illinois Federal Courts as the Umpires of Antebellum Union,” a talk by Professor Alison LaCroix about the role of the Illinois federal courts in the debates over the scope of federal power in the early nineteenth century.  

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200th Anniversary Celebration

March 3, 2019 marked the 200th anniversary of the federal court in Illinois. 

We in the Northern District will celebrate our birthday with a series of events, including speakers, a symposium law journal issues, a festive reception on Friday, March 1, 2019, and the release of a documentary video that explores the significant cases, events, and people that have shaped our history. History buffs who would enjoy a sneak preview are welcome to visit the Court History Museum, already open on the 21st floor of the Dirksen Courthouse. We welcome participation and suggestions from members of the public.

Bicentennial Presentation  –  February 27, 2019                                Reflections from the Court at the Heart of America – Judicial Oral History Project —  An Interview with Marvin E. Aspen: A Judge Who Shaped the Court, the City, & the Nation

In the Bicentennial Year of the Northern District of Illinois, the Court will host a Judicial Oral History Project to interview history-makers who have left an indelible mark on the legal system. The Project was launched with Judge Marvin E. Aspen, who served as the Chief Judge from 1995 to 2002 and is completing his fourth decade of service on the Court. The interview was moderated by three of his former law clerks, whom he now counts as colleagues: Judges Edmond E. Chang, Jeffrey T. Gilbert, and Sidney I. Schenkier.   

Click here to access a video recording of the event.