RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Honorable James F. Holderman, former United States District Court Chief, has been named a recipient of the 2017 Order of Lincoln Award by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago City Council has been informed of this honor by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, The Order of Lincoln is the State of Illinois' highest award given to individuals whose achievements and contributions to the betterment of society have brought honor to the state; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable James F. Holderman was born in Joliet, Illinois and is an alumnus of the University of Illinois; and
WHEREAS, Before joining the judiciary, the Honorable James F. Holderman was a successful trial and appellate lawyer specializing in federal litigation, and served as an assistant U.S. attorney where he received multiple awards for distinguished service; and
WHEREAS, In 1985 the Honorable James F. Holderman was appointed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by President Ronald Reagan; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable James F. Holderman resolved more than 10,000 cases in all areas of federal jurisdiction during his 30 years of service on the federal bench in Chicago; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable James F. Holderman was Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 2006 to 2013; and
WHEREAS, As a federal judge, the Honorable James Holderman is known for initiating innovations to improve the jury trial system, expanding the Settlement Assistance Program, and renovating the Dirksen Federal Courthouse; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable James F. Holderman has taught as an adjunct professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law and Northwestern University School of Law, and currently teaches as an adjunct professor at the John Marshall Law School and the University of Illinois College of Law; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable James F. Holderman's teaching focus is primarily on intellectual property litigation, and trial advocacy courses witgh an empghais on patent, trade secret, and copyright cases; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable James F. Holderman has served as a mediator and arbitrator at the Chicago office of JAMS since 2016; and
WHEREAS, The Honorable James F. Holderman earned the U.S. Department of Justice Award for Distinguished Service and the American Inns Court Award for Professionalism and Ethics; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED, That we, the Mayor and the members of the Chicago City Council do hereby recognize and congratulate the Honorable James F. Holderman on this nineteenth day of April, 2017, as one of seven distinguished recipients of the Order of Lincoln Award which is to be presented by the Lincoln Academy of Illinois on May 6, 2017; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to the Honorable James F. Holderman.
