CBA Record Feb-March 2018

In Memorium: Judge Milton I. Shadur

By Judge Robert Gettleman I am an early riser, but Judge Milton Shadur would get into his chambers before me, around 6:00 a.m., includ- ing Saturdays. Disciplined and conscien- tious, hiswork ethic attests to his love for the law The court was his life, and it is difficult, no, impossible, to contemplate the court without him. As a Senior Judge he carried a full crimi- nal and civil caseload long after most judges would have slowed down. Only physical disabilities could force him, at age 93, to reluctantly (an understate- ment) retire, with his full mental facul- ties as sharp as ever.

thing under consideration—whatever it was, he remained a source of insight and perception. Through his professional life, as a lawyer and a judge, Milton Shadur left us with a legacy of public service and an unwaver- ing commitment to seek justice for all. As Justice Cardozo explained in Peopleex rel. Karolin v. Caulking, “ [ A lawyer or a judge] is received into that ancient fellowship for something more than private gain. [He or she] is an officer of the court, and, like the court itself, an instrument or an agency to advance the ends of justice.” Judge Milton Shadur worked and suc- ceeded to “advance the ends of justice” every day of his professional life. J udge Robert Gettleman of the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois was appointed in 1994, and took senior status in 2009. A more expansive version of this tribute appeared in the November 2017 edition of the 7th Circuit Bar Association’s Circuit Rider.

well over 10,000 opinions, including about 130 published majority opinions and 32 published dissenting opinions for courts of appeals on which he sat by designation. A Third Circuit judge once described Judge Shadur as “a jurist of extraordinary distinction.” Additionally, he wrote a number of unpublished opinions for the First, Second, Third, Sixth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeals. Scholars and jurists alike have observed that Shadur’s opinions combine rigorous legal analysis with lyrical expression, and many of his opinions continue to influence the law, locally and nationally. The volume and quality of Shadur’s opin- ions is perhaps unequaled by any district judge in history. This is not unexpected. He possessed a powerful intellect, an exemplary ability to analyze the law, and an intense desire to think and learn.Two of his law review case notes were cited by the United States Supreme Court while he was still a law student at the University of Chicago. In my 23 years as a judge, I cannot recall a single monthly judges’meeting at which Shadur did not participate and contribute. He would correct the minutes of the last meeting or correct a grammatical error in a proposed rule or point out a substantive error in some-

Judge Shadur was always there to help, a mentor in the true sense: selfless, bril- liant, funny, and genuine. While I didn’t always agree with or follow everything he suggested, I always respected the thought, sincerity, and dedication behind every one of his suggestions, be it how to run a judicial office or how to decide a case. Whether training new judges, drafting opinions of national renown, keeping tabs on his extended “court family,” or penning a chapter of Moore’s Federal Practice, Judge Shadur gave new depth to the expression“go-getter.”During his 37-year tenure on the Bench, he wrote

Service to CBA Over the years, Judge Milton I. Shadur developed a special relationship with the CBA. As the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award on December 5, 2017, the CBA is grateful for his dedication in serving as: • Secretary and Member of the Board of Managers

• Chair of the Legislative Committee • Chair of the Judiciary Committee • Chair of the Professional Responsibility Committee

• Chair of the Special Task Force on Lawyer Advertising and Related Subjects • Member of the Editorial Board of the predecessor to the CBA Record.

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