First Woman On Illinois Supreme Court Dies
From the Chicago Daily Herald
Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow, the first woman to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court and its former chief justice, died Saturday after a brief illness. She was 83.
McMorrow was used to making history even before her ascension to the state's highest court. She was the only woman to graduate from her class at the School of Law at Loyola University in 1953, where she was class president and associate editor of the law review.
The Chicago native also was the first woman to try felony cases as an assistant Cook County state's attorney, during which time she was told by her male supervisor that women did not argue cases before the state Supreme Court — a court she would later sit on and lead.
Elected to the circuit court in 1976 and later the appellate court in 1986, McMorrow said she never set out to be a pioneer.
"I just simply tried to do my best in every task that was presented to me," she said.
She wrote 225 majority opinions and 85 other concurring or dissenting opinions while serving on the Supreme Court. McMorrow was chief justice from 2002 to 2005, making her the first woman to head a branch of Illinois government.
"We will fondly remember Justice McMorrow and always cherish the privilege of having worked with her," Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride said in a statement released Sunday. "Being the first woman on the court and to serve as chief justice, she was an inspiration to all women in the law in Illinois. But through her courage, perseverance, wisdom, and character, she was a role model for all lawyers, regardless of gender."
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Herald
Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow, the first woman to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court and its former chief justice, died Saturday after a brief illness. She was 83.
McMorrow was used to making history even before her ascension to the state's highest court. She was the only woman to graduate from her class at the School of Law at Loyola University in 1953, where she was class president and associate editor of the law review.
The Chicago native also was the first woman to try felony cases as an assistant Cook County state's attorney, during which time she was told by her male supervisor that women did not argue cases before the state Supreme Court — a court she would later sit on and lead.
Elected to the circuit court in 1976 and later the appellate court in 1986, McMorrow said she never set out to be a pioneer.
"I just simply tried to do my best in every task that was presented to me," she said.
She wrote 225 majority opinions and 85 other concurring or dissenting opinions while serving on the Supreme Court. McMorrow was chief justice from 2002 to 2005, making her the first woman to head a branch of Illinois government.
"We will fondly remember Justice McMorrow and always cherish the privilege of having worked with her," Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride said in a statement released Sunday. "Being the first woman on the court and to serve as chief justice, she was an inspiration to all women in the law in Illinois. But through her courage, perseverance, wisdom, and character, she was a role model for all lawyers, regardless of gender."
Read more in our daily News Update...