[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 52 (Thursday, March 29, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S2225]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING JUDGE WILLIAM HIBBLER

  Mr. DURBIN. I wish to pay tribute to a great man and a great judge 
who passed away unexpectedly earlier this month. Judge William Hibbler 
had served with distinction as a Federal district court judge in the 
Northern District of Illinois since 1999. Bill Hibbler cared so deeply 
about Chicago that it sometimes surprised people to learn that he 
actually started life in a small town in Alabama.
  His family moved to Chicago when he was a child. He graduated from 
St. Mel High School on the West Side and later from the University of 
Illinois at Chicago. He worked as a substitute teacher in the Chicago 
public school system to help pay his tuition at DePaul University 
School of Law. He started his legal career in private practice but soon 
felt the call of public service so he went to work as an assistant 
State's attorney in Cook County.
  In 1986, he became an associate judge of the Cook County Circuit 
Court, and he served in that capacity for 13 years, until he joined the 
Federal bench. Judge Hibbler was active in community service throughout 
his career. He was a mentor to many young people.
  During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary 
Committee, I noted that some judges have an unfortunate tendency to 
look down on the people who come before them once they put on the 
judges' black robes, and I asked Judge Hibbler what type of temperament 
he would bring to the Federal bench. His answer said so much about the 
kind of man Bill Hibbler was and about his values. He said, ``The 
opportunity to serve is a wonderful opportunity, and we should never 
forget that.''
  Judge Hibbbler died on March 19. He was 65 years old. The esteem in 
which he was held is evident in comments by other judges and by lawyers 
who appeared before him.
  Chief Judge Jim Holderman of the Northern District praised Judge 
Hibbler as ``an outstanding jurist who cared deeply about our system of 
justice and displayed an unparalleled sense of fairness.'' Thomas 
Bruton, clerk of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of 
Illinois, said: ``Judge Hibbler was a friend to everyone who met him. 
He was gracious, kind and a mentor to many in this court.''
  U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said, ``He was a wonderful judge and 
wonderful person, who treated everyone who appeared before him with 
great respect.'' His friend, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Anne 
Claire Williams, said that Judge Hibbler ``wasn't what you would call a 
man of many words, but each day, in his own quiet way, he made a 
difference in the world.''
  I am proud to have joined then-Senator Carol Moseley-Braun in urging 
President Clinton to nominate Judge Hibbler to the Federal bench 13 
years ago. His many years of distinguished service on the Federal bench 
only deepened my respect for him. William Hibbler loved the law, and he 
loved justice. He also loved his family very deeply, and I wish to 
offer my sincere condolences to his wife Regina, his son William, and 
his daughter Aviv. We are grateful for the service that their husband 
and father provided to the Chicago community, and we will miss him.

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