Prentice Marshall | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | |
| In office October 19, 1988 – April 15, 1996 | |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | |
| In office July 18, 1973 – October 19, 1988 | |
| Appointed by | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | Alexander J. Napoli |
| Succeeded by | George W. Lindberg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Prentice Henry Marshall (1926-08-07)August 7, 1926 |
| Died | May 24, 2004(2004-05-24) (aged 77) |
| Education | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (B.S.) University of Illinois College of Law (J.D.) |
Prentice Henry Marshall (August 7, 1926 – May 24, 2004) was aUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Born inOak Park,Illinois, Marshall graduated from Oak Park High School (nowOak Park and River Forest High School) in 1944 and then served two years in theUnited States Navy.[1] Under theG.I. Bill, he studied at theUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, earning aBachelor of Science degree in 1949. While there he was a member of thePhi Kappa Psi fraternity. Marshall then earned aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Illinois College of Law in 1951.[1] Marshall then served as alaw clerk for JudgeWalter C. Lindley on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1951 until 1953.[2]
A Democrat, Marshall worked in private legal practice inChicago from 1953 until 1967 at Johnston, Thompson, Raymond & Mayer (which later became known asJenner & Block), becoming partner in 1961. While at Jenner, Marshall also served as a special assistant attorney general for the state of Illinois from 1964 until 1967. Marshall also built a reputation for starting Jenner's pro bono legal program. Marshall then served as a law professor at theUniversity of Illinois College of Law from 1967 until 1973 and as a hearing officer for the Illinois Fair Employment Practices Commission from 1967 until 1972.[2] In 1959, Marshall, then a resident ofWheaton, Illinois, ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for state's attorney inDuPage County, a Republican stronghold.[1]
Marshall was nominated by PresidentRichard Nixon on June 27, 1973, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois vacated by JudgeAlexander J. Napoli.[2] Marshall was one of the few Democrats ever nominated to the federal bench by Nixon.[1] He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on July 13, 1973, and received his commission on July 18, 1973.[2] He assumedsenior status due to a certified disability on October 19, 1988.[2] His service terminated on April 15, 1996, due to his retirement.[2]
During his tenure on the bench, Marshall became known—by his own admission—as an activist judge, ordering theChicago Police Department in 1976 to hire women and stop discrimination against black and Hispanic officers. He also ruled in 1982 that the random interrogation of Hispanics by what was then known as theImmigration and Naturalization Service was unconstitutional.[1]
Perhaps Marshall's best-known case, however, was a 1982 trial that sent the then-president of theTeamsters Union,Roy L. Williams, to prison for three years. In that case, Williams, Chicago mob bossJoseph Lombardo and three other defendants—one of whom, Chicago insurance manAllen Dorfman, was shot to death while out on bond awaiting sentencing—were found to have conspired to bribeUnited States SenatorHoward Cannon.[1][3]
Marshall died of cardiac pulmonary failure and bladder cancer on May 24, 2004, inPonce Inlet,Florida.[1]
Marshall married Lorelei Towle in 1948. The couple had four children.[1] Lorelei Marshall died in 2005 at age 78. Marshall and his wife sold their house inWheaton, Illinois in 1978 and moved to Chicago. They moved to Florida in 1990.[1] Marshall's wife told theNew York Times in 2004 that he once interviewed for the job of commissioner of baseball.[1]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois 1973–1988 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
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