Lawyer, Activist, Judge Fighting for Civil and Voting Rights in Mississippi and Illinois

by Mills, Martha A.

• ISBN13: 9781634251310
• ISBN10: 1634251318
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2017-04-01
• Publisher: American Bar Association

Summary

Lawyer, Activist, Judge: Fighting for Civil and Voting Rights in Mississippi and Illinois is the story of Martha A. Mills, who worked to bring justice to a place where injustice thrived. In this compelling and fascinating account, Mills describes her journey to Mississippi as a young civil rights lawyer in the late 1960s after joining the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. She boldly challenged the racial status quo and racial barriers in the south, risking her personal safety in the process. Yet she looked racist judges, lawyers, lawmen, and Ku Kluxers in the eye—never backing down, in court or out. Mills's work as a civil rights activist continued through to her work as a judge in Cook County, Illinois.

Author Biography

Judge Martha Mills of Chicago is a renowned pioneering civil rights attorney. She was a trial lawyer for more than forty years. In 1995 she was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as judge for the Circuit Court of Cook County. During her tenure she was primarily in the Juvenile Justice, Child Protection Division. Recalled in 2007, she supervised the Parentage and Child Support Court until December of 2012. Under her guidance, the court strengthened its operations piloting a restorative justice project, one of the first such programs in a family law court in this country. In addition, she has done a great deal of consulting, educating, and training in restorative justice, violence prevention and intervention, and conflict resolution for children and adults.