Brian Barnett Duff

Brian Barnett Duff (September 15, 1930 – February 25, 2016) was a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Brian Barnett Duff
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
In office October 30, 1996 – February 25, 2016
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
In office October 17, 1985 – October 30, 1996
Appointed by	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Seat established by 98 Stat. 333
Succeeded by	Ronald A. Guzman
Personal details
Born	September 15, 1930 Dallas, Texas
Died	February 25, 2016 (aged 85) Wilmette, Illinois
Resting place	All Saints Cemetery Des Plaines, Illinois
Education	University of Notre Dame (A.B.) DePaul University College of Law (J.D.)

Education and career

Duff was born on September 15, 1930, in Dallas, Texas as the third of ten children.[1][2] He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1953 and received a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in 1962. Duff was in the United States Navy as a lieutenant in the JAG Corps from 1953 to 1956 and served in the United States Naval Reserve from 1957 to 1961. He was an assistant to Chief Executive Officer of Banker's Life and Casualty from 1962 to 1967. Duff was a Vice President and general counsel of R. H. Gore Co. from 1968 to 1969 and was in private practice from 1965 until 1976 in Chicago, Illinois. From 1971 to 1976, Duff was a Member in the Illinois House of Representatives. He served as the minority whip for the Republican Party. He was also a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Criminal Division from 1976 to 1979, and then at Circuit Court of Cook County, Law Jury Division from 1979 to 1985.[3][4]

Federal judicial service

On August 1, 1985, Duff was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, to a new seat created by 98 Stat. 333.[5] He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 16, 1985, and received his commission on October 17, 1985. After years of erratic behavior and facing a judicial disciplinary complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Duff stepped down and took senior status due to a certified disability on October 30, 1996, but was inactive for the duration of his senior status.[6][3]

Duff was notorious for his hostile rulings against victims of torture by Chicago police officers led by Jon Burge. While Burge was eventually convicted, Duff was never punished for his role in sending innocent citizens to prison and death row based on coerced confessions.[7]

Personal life

Duff was married to Florence Buckley in 1953. They had five children. Duff died on February 25, 2016.[8][9] Duff's grandmother was Julia Harrington Duff, the first Irish Catholic woman elected to the Boston School Committee, in 1901.[10]

References

1. "Illinois blue book, 1971-1972". idaillinois.org. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
2. Griffin, Richard (April 2, 2008). News travels far and reconnects peers Archived November 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Wicked Local – West Roxbury Transcript.
3. "Duff, Brian Barnett - Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
4. 'Illinois Blue Book 1975-1976,' Biographical Sketch of Brian B. Duff, pg. 72
5. Davidson, Jean (July 31, 1985). "Reagan taps Judge Duff for federal bench." Chicago Tribune.
6. "Controversial Judge Steps Down From U.s. Bench".
7. "Book Review: The Torture Machine, Racism and Violence in Chicago". NLG Review. 2020-02-07. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
8. "Honorable Brian Barnett Duff Obituary". Legacy.com. February 25, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
9. "Brian Duff Obituary - Wilmette, Illinois - Tributes.com". www.tributes.com.
10. Polly Welts Kaufman, "Julia Harrington Duff and the Political Awakening of Irish-American Women in Boston, 1888-1905" in Susan Lynne Porter, Women of the Commonwealth: Work, Family, and Social Change in Nineteenth-Century Massachusetts (University of Massachusetts Press 1996). ISBN 9781558490055

External links

• Brian Barnett Duff at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.