WHAT: Memorial service honoring the late Justice Benjamin K. Miller (1936-2024)
WHEN: 2 p.m., Monday, Sept. 16, 2024
WHERE: Supreme Court Courtroom, 200 E. Capitol Ave., Springfield and livestream
The Illinois Supreme Court will host a memorial service in honor of the late Justice Benjamin K. Miller, who served on the Supreme Court from 1984-2001 and served as Chief Justice from 1991-1994.
Justice Miller passed away in February of this year. A program is available for download on the Court’s website. Public attendance will be via livestream here. Opening and closing remarks for the service will be made by Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis.
Those scheduled to offer tributes include Supreme Court Justice Lisa Holder White, retired Supreme Court Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier, and retired Fourth District Appellate Court Justice M. Carol Pope. Benjamin K. Miller was born in Springfield, Illinois on November 5, 1936. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1954, then attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Justice Miller received his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1961. Graduating from the U.S. Army Intelligence School in 1962, he served in the Army Reserves from 1961 to 1964, then in the Navy Reserves from 1964 to 1967. In 1991, he received the honorary Doctor of Laws degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, now UIC School of Law. Justice Miller established a law practice in Springfield in 1961 and, in 1976, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed him to the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He won election to the position in 1978 and became the Chief Judge of the Seventh Circuit in 1981. In 1982, Justice Miller won election to the Fourth District Appellate Court. In 1984, Justice Miller won an election for the Illinois Supreme Court to succeed retired Justice Robert C. Underwood. He won retention with nearly 79 percent of the vote in 1994. Justice Miller served as Chief Justice from 1991 to 1994 and during that time he convened the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council to improve court response regarding domestic abuse cases. Due to those efforts, the Justice Benjamin K. Miller Recognition Award was established to honor outstanding members of the community and judiciary for their work in preventing family violence.
Original source can be found here.