Memorial Resolution for Laura Liu
WHEREAS, on April 15, 2016, the Honorable Laura Liu passed away from breast cancer at the much too young age of 49; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed body has been notified of Justice Laura Liu's death by the Honorable Alderman Marty Quinn of the 13th Ward; and
WHEREAS, Laura Liu was born in Carbondale, Illinois where her parents Yih-Wu Liu and Becky Liu were exchange students from China at Southern Illinois University; and
WHEREAS, her family moved to Ohio where Laura Liu graduated from a high school of 2,000 as Valedictorian. She graduated from Youngstown State University and the University of Cincinnati Law School; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Liu came to Chicago on a law internship. She met Michael Kasper and they were married and honeymooned in India; and
WHEREAS, in 1998 Laura Liu began her career in private practice at Hogan, Marren Ltd. For over twenty years, she was a litigator principally in employment law and health care issues; and
WHEREAS, in December of 2010 she was named as judge to the 8th Subcircuit of the Circuit Court of Cook County in the Chancery Division. She was the first Chinese-American judge in Illinois and upon her re-election she became the first Chinese-American elected official in Cook County; and
WHEREAS, Justice Liu was actively involved advocating for effective language services for litigants who were not English speakers. In 2012 she became co-chair of the State Supreme Court's Language Access Committee which contributed to the state's language access policy; and
WHEREAS, Justice Laura Liu was known as an intelligent, humane and committed judge. She continued to fulfill her duties despite a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2011; and
WHEREAS, Justice Liu was appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court in January of 2014, becoming the first Chinese-American Illinois Appellate Court Justice; and
WHEREAS, Justice Liu was a phenomenal parent, who taught her daughter Sophie Mandarin Chinese and the piano. Despite the ravages of her cancer she insisted on traveling with her family to France so her daughter could experience Paris; and
WHEREAS, Justice Liu was actively involved in a variety of community events, especially those involving schoolchildren. Appropriately, the Justice Laura Liu Scholarship Fund has been established at St. Therese Chinese Catholic School; and
WHEREAS, in addition to her husband, daughter and parents, Laura is survived by her sister Jessica and brother Eric; now, therefore,
Be It Resolved, That we, the Mayor and members of the City Council of the City of Chicago gathered here this eighteenth day of May, 2016, do hereby express our sorrow on the passing of the Honorable Laura Liu and extend to her family our sincere condolences; and
Be It Further Resolved, That a suitable copy of this resolution be prepared and presented to the family of Justice Laura Liu.
