Justice Charles E. Freeman, the first African-American to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court and as Chief Justice, has announced he will be retiring effective June 14 after a long and distinguished career as a lawyer and judge. Justice Freeman, 84, is the fifth-longest serving justice in Illinois Supreme Court history at 27 years, six months.

In the course of his long tenure, he has participated in resolution of some of the most difficult and important controversies to come before the courts of Illinois. While Justice Freeman may be retiring from office, the extraordinary body of legal decisions he helped craft will serve as an enduring legacy of his commitment to justice and to the people of Illinois.”

The Supreme Court has constitutional authority to fill interim judicial vacancies and has appointed Appellate Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr. to fill Justice Freeman’s seat.
Born in Richmond, Virginia, Justice Freeman descended from slaves freed by Quakers before the American Civil War. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Union University in 1954 and earned his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School in 1962.