James D. Heiple
James D. Heiple (born September 13, 1933) is an American attorney and jurist who served as a Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court from 1990 to 2000.[1]
James D. Heiple | |
|---|---|
| Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court | |
| In office 1990–2000 | |
| Preceded by | Howard C. Ryan |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Kilbride |
| Judge of the Illinois Court of Appeals | |
| In office 1980–1990 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 13, 1933 Peoria, Illinois |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Bradley University (BS) University of Louisville (JD) University of Virginia (LLM) |
| Occupation | lawyer, judge |
Early life and education
Born in Peoria, Illinois, Heiple received a B.S. from Bradley University in his hometown. He studied law in Louisville, Kentucky, and received a J.D. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1957. Heiple later received an LL.M from the University of Virginia School of Law.[1] Heiple also married; two of his sons later also became lawyers.[2]
Career
After admission to Illinois bar, Heiple entered private legal practice with his father in Tazewell County, Illinois, with offices in Washington and Pekin, until 1970. During this period, he also worked as an appellate law clerk, public defender, special master in chancery, bank manager, and farm-owner.[1]
In 1970, Heiple was elected to the Illinois Circuit Court. In 1980, he was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court. In 1990, Heiple successfully ran to succeed retiring Illinois Supreme Court Justice Howard C. Ryan, for whom he had previously clerked.[3] In 1994, Heiple issued an opinion in the controversial "Baby Richard Case."[4] In 1996, the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board investigated complaints that Heiple abused his position during several traffic stops and disobeyed police. Some believed the investigation resulted from the public attention drawn by that previous adoption opinion.[5] The formal complaint filed in January 1997 discussed the various traffic stops in Pekin and various western Illinois counties and led to formal censure of then Chief Justice Heiple by the Illinois Supreme Court on April 30, 1997 and his resignation from that post (but not the court) by the end of the week.[6][7]
On April 14, 1997, Heiple was the subject of the first judicial impeachment proceedings in Illinois in 145 years, conducted by an investigative panel of ten representatives of the Illinois House of Representatives. Fellow Justice Benjamin K. Miller testified during Heiple’s impeachment proceedings that Heiple had failed to let other court members know the seriousness of the Illinois Courts Commission's investigation. The panel voted not to impeach Heiple; he remained on the bench through the end of his term in 2000.[8] Voters elected Democrat Thomas Kilbride to succeed Heiple.
References
- James D. Heiple at Illinoiscourts.gov.
- https://www.law.virginia.edu/static/uvalawyer/html/alumni/uvalawyer/f02/llm.htm
- David Kenney and Barbara L. Brown, Basic Illinois Government: A Systematic Explanation (Southern Illinois University Press 1993) p. 129 available at https://books.google.com/books?id=H5J-qXCW_usC&pg=PA129&lpg=PA129&dq
- In re Doe, 159 Ill. 2d 347, 349-51, 638 N.E.2d 181, 181-82 (1994) available at https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2123883/in-re-petition-of-doe/.
- Jerome B. Meites and Steven F. Pflaum, Justice James D. Heiple: Impeachment and the Assault on Judicial Independence, Loyola University Law Journal vol. 29 (Summer 1998) available at http://lawecommons.luc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1496&context=luclj
- https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/.../Orders%20from%20Courts%20Commission/Heiple.pdf
- https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-05-03-9705030175-story.html
- Long, Ray (January 17, 2001). "Republican Justice Says He Will Retire From State's Supreme Court". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Howard C. Ryan |
Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court 1990–2000 |
Succeeded by Thomas R. Fitzgerald |