Remembering IL Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Freeman

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Freeman, who passed away on March 3, 2020, at the age of 86, was admired by all at Corboy & Demetrio.  

“Justice Freeman was a magnificent jurist and an extraordinary person,” said Thomas A. Demetrio, Co-founder of Corboy & Demetrio.

Justice Freeman received his J.D. degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 1962 and served as a Cook County Circuit Judge from 1976 to 1986.

During that time, Justice Freeman became the first African American to administer the oath of office to a mayor in the City of Chicago when in 1983 he swore in Harold Washington, the city’s first black mayor. He was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1986.

Justice Freeman was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court on Nov. 6, 1990, as the first African American to serve on the Court. In 1997, he was selected Chief Justice, again making history.  He retired from the Court in 2018.

We will miss him dearly.