Mary L. Mikva

Mary L. Mikva
Judge of the Illinois Appellate Court from the 1st District
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 2016
Preceded byLaura Liu
Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County
In office
2004 – July 2016
Personal details
BornEvanston, Illinois
SpouseSteven H. Cohen
ChildrenTwo
Alma materBeloit College (BA)
Northwestern University (JD)
Websitemarylanemikva.com

Mary Lane Mikva is an American jurist who is a judge of the First District Appellate Court of Illinois in Chicago, serving from her appointment in July 2016.

Biography

Mikva is the daughter of Judge Abner Mikva and Zorita ("Zoe") (nee Wise) Mikva.[1] Mikva and her two sisters were raised in the neighborhood of Hyde Park on the South Side of Chicago, and attended public schools. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in theater at Beloit College in 1974, working after graduation as a paralegal at the law firm Jenner & Block.[2] She then attended Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, graduating cum laude and Order of the Coif in 1980.[3][4] Following graduation, she served as law clerk to Judge Prentice Marshall of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and then to Justice William J. Brennan Jr., of the United States Supreme Court.[5][6] After her clerkships, Mikva practiced law in Chicago as a partner at Abrahamson Vorachek & Mikva and Seliger & Mikva, specializing in civil rights and employment law, and in criminal defense with Patrick A. Tuite & Associates.[7][8]

In November 2004, Mikva was elected judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, where she served until her appointment to the appellate court in 2016.[9][10] On the trial bench, she served in the Chancery Division where she assisted in judicial education.[11] In 2016, Mikva was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Illinois Appellate Court to fill the vacancy created by the death of Justice Laura Liu.[12] Mikva's Illinois 1st District Appellate Court term ends in December of 2024, unless she is reelected.[13] Mikva was endorsed by the Cook County Democratic party for the 2024 Appellate Court primary election, and will be on the 2024 ballot.[14][13]

Notable decisions

In December 2018, Mikva authored an opinion of the First District Court of Appeals upholding the trial court's refusal to require the Chicago Board of Education to produce records concerning complaints relating to security or police in possession of the Chicago Public Schools.[15] The task would be too time consuming, the court reasoned.[16]

In June 2014, Mikva ruled in the case of Clark v. ISBE (14 CH 7356) that proposals for Illinois legislators’ term limits and political redistricting were both unconstitutional.[17][18][19]

In September 2011, in ACLU v Illinois State Police (10 CH 40840), a lawsuit over disclosure of documents under the Freedom of Information Act, Mikva decided the Illinois State Police must turn over a memorandum of understanding with the United States National Guard, but that other requested documents could properly remain confidential.[20]

Personal life

Mikva is married to Steven H. Cohen, an attorney, and they have two children.[21][22] They met while undergraduates at Beloit College.[23]

See also

References

  1. ^ Thometz, Kristen (January 21, 2019). "Zoe Mikva, Educator and Activist, Dies at 90". WTTW.com. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  2. ^ United States of America V. Angelini. United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. 1977. p. 18. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  3. ^ "Miner Moot Court Judges Lunch Panel". Northwestern University School of Law. March 8, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  4. ^ Miner, Michael (October 1, 2013). "On other roles in life that Joel Daly and Mary Mikva play". Chicago Reader. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  5. ^ Stern, Seth; Wermiel, Stephen (2010). Justice Brennan: Liberal Champion. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 477. ISBN 978-0547523897. Retrieved August 17, 2019. mary mikva.
  6. ^ Cushman, Claire; Peppers, Todd C. (2015). Of Courtiers and Kings. University of Virginia Press. ISBN 9780813937274. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  7. ^ Mikva, Mary L. "Drafting Confidentiality, Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements: An Employee's Wish List" (PDF). American Bar Association Institute: Labor & Employment Law. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  8. ^ United States of America V. Hyman. United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. 1983. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  9. ^ "Supreme Court fills Cook County vacancies on Appellate, Circuit courts". The Bar News. Illinois State Bar Association. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  10. ^ "Committee to Elect Mary Lane Mikva for Judge". IllinoisSunshine.org. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  11. ^ Wood, Lauraann (June 8, 2016). "Mary Mikva named to 1st District seat". Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  12. ^ "SUPREME COURT FILLS VACANCIES ON APPELLATE, CIRCUIT COURTS IN COOK COUNTY" (PDF). June 7, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Mary L. Mikva". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  14. ^ Hinkel, Dan; Cancino, Alejandra (2023-08-15). "Cook County Democrats back Illinois Supreme Court Justice Cunningham and slate of judicial candidates for 2024". Injustice Watch. Retrieved 2024-07-05.
  15. ^ Little, Charmaine (December 19, 2019). "Appeals court: Shriver Center's FOIA request for school cop misconduct reports too burdensome". Cook County Record. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  16. ^ "Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Inc v. The Board of Education of the City of Chicago, 2018 IL App (1st) 171846". Illinois State Bar Association. 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  17. ^ Small, Taureen (June 27, 2014). "Judge Rules Against Term Limits, Redistricting". WTTW.com. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  18. ^ "Illinois judge: No to term limits, redistricting measures". Common Cause. June 30, 2014. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  19. ^ "Illinois Supreme Court should take up term limits". Chicago Tribune. July 13, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  20. ^ "ACLU v. ISP". ACLU of Illinois. 2011-01-06. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  21. ^ "The Latest: Chicago mayor, justices react to Mikva's death". Associated Press. July 5, 2016. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  22. ^ "Steven H. Cohen". Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  23. ^ "Steven Cohen '75". Beloit College. Retrieved August 17, 2019.