[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 183 (Thursday, November 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7151-S7152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO ANN CLAIRE WILLIAMS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to take a few minutes to thank 
Judge Ann Claire Williams for her extraordinary service to our country. 
After serving nearly two decades on the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of 
Appeals in Chicago, Judge Williams announced she would be retiring from 
the judiciary later this year.
  Ann Claire Williams is a trailblazer. She is the first African 
American to serve on the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals--an 
accomplishment that one judge called: ``the desegregation of the 7th 
Circuit.'' This was just another in a series of firsts for Judge 
Williams. She was one of the first two African-American women to clerk 
for judges on the Seventh Circuit. In 1985, Judge Williams became the 
first African American woman to become a U.S. District Court judge for 
the Northern District of Illinois. She served as chair of the Court 
Administration and Case Management Committee of the United States 
Judicial Conference--making her the first African American chair of a 
Judicial Conference committee. Judge Williams also became the first 
African American president of the Federal Judges Association. Simply 
put, almost every step of her career has broken new ground.
  Born in Detroit, MI, Ann Claire Williams began her career as a third 
grade music teacher after graduating from Wayne State University with a 
bachelor's degree in elementary education and master's degree from the 
University of Michigan in guidance and counseling. Inspired by the 
television show ``Perry Mason'' the only lawyer she knew growing up--
and a competitive spirit, Ann decided to attend law school. She chose 
the University of Notre Dame and the rest is history--or more 
appropriately, the rest of her career made history.
  Judge Williams has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards. 
Here are just a few: Chicago Lawyer 2000 Person of the Year; the 
Arabella Babb Mansfield Award from the National Association of Women 
Lawyers; the National Bar Association's Gertrude E. Rush Award; the 
American Bar Association's Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement 
Award; Chicago Inn of Court's Joel M. Flaum Award; American Judicature 
Society's Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award; the 
Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago's Pioneer Award; 
the Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys, Inc.'s Breaking 
the Glass Ceiling Award; and was recognized by Newsweek Daily Beast as 
one of 2012's 150 Fearless Women in the World.
  Judge Williams has always been proud of breaking barriers and her 
history of firsts, but she doesn't want to be the last. Throughout her 
career, she has been committed to training young lawyers. As a founding 
member of the Black Women Lawyers in Chicago, Judge Williams uses her 
story to inspire the next generation--and makes clear through her 
experiences that young women today can follow the path she paved to 
reach the top of their fields. She also serves as chairwoman of the 
Just The Beginning Foundation to help guide more minority law students 
into the legal profession. Under Judge Williams' leadership, the 
organization has grown to include programs for students in high school 
and middle school across the country. For all her achievements, it is 
her commitment to the future that is truly inspiring.
  Recently, Judge Williams said.

       You want to be nourished by people that understand your 
     story and your experience. But once you're nourished that 
     means you have to go out and deal with the broader world.

  Well, Judge Williams has done just that. She serves on the board of 
Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a just society 
by training lawyers committed to working in the public interest, and 
despite her busy schedule, she has made time to travel to Ghana, 
Rwanda, Liberia, and Uganda to train judges and attorneys.
  Judge Williams' career is groundbreaking, and she is a role model for 
countless young women of color--and an inspiration to the rest of us. I 
am proud to call her a friend.
  I want to congratulate Judge Williams on an outstanding career and 
thank her for all she has done--and all she will continue to do. The 
country is grateful for her service. I wish her and her family all the 
best in her next chapter.

[[Page S7152]]

  

                          ____________________