Deaths in Sept. 2022: Starr, Fletcher and Coolio

KEN STARR, 76

A former federal appellate judge and a prominent attorney whose criminal investigation of Bill Clinton led to the president's impeachment and put Starr  in the center of one of the country's most polarizing debates in the 1990s.  Died September 13.

LOUISE FLETCHER. 88

A late-blooming star whose riveting performance as Nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" set a new standard for screen villains and won her an Academy Award.  Died September 23.

I always felt she was just doing her job and trying to deal with Jack Nicholson.

COOLIO, 59

The rapper was among hip-hop's biggest names of the 1990s with hits including "Gangsta's Paradise" and "Fantastic Voyage."   Died September 28.

I really liked those two songs and I am not a rap fan.

Judge Orders Wine Barrels To be Poured Into Kishwaukee River in 1919

From the Nov. 27, 2019, MidWeek  (DeKalb County, Illinois) "Looking Back."

1919, 100 Years Ago.

"Groans from both court attaches and spectators were audible in the county court room on Monday when Judge Pond rendered his decision in the case against an Italian resident of Kirkland, accused of selling intoxication liquor against the law , and who was the first person arrested in DeKalb County under the state search and seizure act.

"The groans came  when the judge ordered two whole barrels of perfectly good wine, seized from the defendant to be pored into the Kishwaukee river."

--CootWiner

George N. Leighton

I looked up Judge George N. Leighton to find out some more information on the man.  especially in light of that highly controversial decision he made back in 1965.  The first thing I found out is that he is still alive at the age of 102 (born in 1912) and that he is African-American.

That may have had an impact on his decision in the case.

But, this is one incredible man.  To have overcome the prejudices and segregation in the United States prior to 1965 to rise to his position as a judge is truly remarkable.  In Wikipedia, he is listed as an African-American jurist, born in New Bedford, Massachusetts of parents from Cape Verde.

He graduated from Howard University and served during World War II as an officer.  After the war, he graduated from Harvard University and began a private practice from 1946-1964, except for when he served as Assistant Attorney General of Illinois from 1949 to 1951.

He served as a judge for the Cook County from 1964-1969 and was the first African-American to be hold a position on the Appellate Court of Illinois and in 1976 was appointed to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois.

This is just a short summary of his accomplishments.  I'd say he deserves to have that Cook County criminal courts building named after him.