SR0834 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0834 LRB103 39836 LAW 70519 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of the Honorable Benjamin K. Miller, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, who passed away on February 25, 2024; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller was born to Clifford C. and Mary M. Miller in Springfield on November 5, 1936; he graduated from Springfield High School in 1954 and Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 1958; he received his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1961; he graduated from the U.S. Army Intelligence School in Maryland in 1962; and

WHEREAS, Upon completion of law school, Judge Miller returned to Springfield, where he worked in private practice from 1961 to 1976; during this time, he served in both the U.S. Army Reserve and U.S. Navy Reserve; he was appointed to the Circuit Court for the 7th Judicial Circuit by the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1976, and he was elected to that position in 1978; he then served as Presiding Judge in the Criminal Felony Division of the Circuit Court in Sangamon County from 1976 to 1980; he was elected Chief Judge of the 7th Judicial Circuit, serving in that capacity until he was elected to the 4th District Appellate Court in 1982; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller was elected to a ten-year term on the Supreme Court of Illinois in 1984, representing the 4th Judicial District, which covers much of central Illinois; he was elected Chief Justice in 1991, becoming the first and only Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois to be from Sangamon County; he served in that role until January 1, 1994; that same year, he was reelected to the Supreme Court of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, During his tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, Judge Miller was known for his intelligence, ethics, and forward-thinking approach and for always championing ways to improve the court system; his leadership led to profound changes in the judicial system, including expanding judicial performance evaluations statewide, adding non-attorneys to disciplinary hearing boards that ruled on lawyer misconduct, and clarifying the restrictions on political activity by judges and judicial candidates by amending the Code of Judicial Conduct; he also established the Special Commission on the Administration of Justice and the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller had a lifelong interest in bioethics and helped develop the medical-legal curriculum at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where he served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Medical Humanities for several years; after retirement, he also served in an of counsel capacity at the law firm Jenner & Block in Chicago for many years; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller was active in many community organizations, including serving as president of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce and the Springfield Mental Health Association, a board member of Sparc and the Springfield-Sangamon County Youth Services Bureau, and a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Sangamon County Bar Association, and the Central Illinois Women's Bar Association, where he became the association's first male member; he also helped establish a center for battered women in Springfield and provided legal advice to victims of domestic abuse; from 1988 to 1991, he chaired the Illinois Courts Commission, the constitutional body authorized to discipline or suspend members of the judiciary; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller received a number of accolades, including being awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws from the John Marshall Law School in 1991 and named to the Order of Lincoln, the State's highest civilian honor, in 2019; he was the namesake of the Justice Benjamin K. Miller Recognition Award, which was established to honor outstanding members of the community and the judiciary for their work in preventing family violence; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller was a world-class sailor, and he enjoyed sailing his 37-foot sailboat, Adventure, throughout the Caribbean and South America; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller's impact on the law is both significant and substantial; he wrote over 487 opinions, participated in more than 2,000 cases, and evaluated over 20,000 requests for review; he will be remembered for serving as a leader in court reform and ethics and as a tireless advocate for victims of domestic abuse; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller was preceded in death by his parents, Clifford C. and Mary M. Miller; and

WHEREAS, Judge Miller is survived by his sister, Carol Costello; his nephews, John Costello and David (Julie) Costello; his niece, Katherine (Mark) Whitlock, and her sons, Ben and Jack Whitlock; Jennifer A. Johnson; and many friends; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of the Honorable Benjamin K. Miller, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois, and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Judge Miller as an expression of our deepest sympathy.