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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
IN MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE JUDGE RICHARD L. CURRY, FORMER PRESIDING JUDGE OF THE COOK COUNTY CHANCERY DIVISION
WHEREAS, Judge Richard Curry, retired presiding judge of the Chancery Division, a man whose life was devoted to public service and family, died at the age of 86 leaving friends, family and a community enriched for having known him; and
WHEREAS, Judge Curry played a major role in restoring integrity to the Cook County judiciary. He was selected to be presiding judge of the Chancery Division during one of the worst corruption investigations in modern times. Judge Curry was a well-respected judge who immeasurably improved the division, in addition to implementing many other innovative systems he pioneered the practice of publishing written opinions at the trial level ; and
WHEREAS, Judge Curry's many accomplishments were routinely singled out for distinction. He was honored with an award by the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Chicago, a civic engagement organization that provides elementary and secondary students with hands-on learning about the Constitution. The Chicago Bar Association gave him its highest recommendation as "highly qualified." It described him as "arguably the most respected and highly regarded jurist in Cook County and perhaps one of the best sitting judges in the country." His excellent work and reputation placed him the candidate pool for a federal judicial position; and
WHEREAS, Richard Curry was a veteran of the Korean War veteran. He graduated from DePaul University College of Law and began working as a staff attorney in the city of Chicago's Law Department, where he was later named The Corporation Counsel to Mayor Richard J. Daley. He had the honor to argue on behalf of the City of Chicago twice before the United States Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, Judge Curry was first elected to a circuit judge position in 1974 and served in several divisions before ultimately settling into th...
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