Early Life
Marianne Jackson grew up on the west side of Chicago with her Mother and Father, Marcellene and Charles, and 4 brothers and 2 sisters. She graduated from Delano Grammar School and John Marshall High School .
Marianne at age 6.
The Jackson family kids at 3911 W. Gladys St. circa 1961.
Education
Judge Jackson received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Northwestern University in 1970 and her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign in 1973. While at Northwestern she was initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
Marianne (college) and her sister (high school) in their caps and gowns in the family home, 4216 W. West End Ave.
Marianne during her college years.
Defending the wrongfully convicted
During her years in private practice, Judge Jackson was twice honored by the Cook County Bar Association. In 1981, she received the William R. Ming Award in recognition of her participation in the defense and trial of 17 inmates from Pontiac Prison facing the death penalty. In 1990 Judge Jackson received the Richard E. Westbrook Award in recognition of outstanding legal excellence. This was the first time a woman had been so honored.
Headline from the acquittal of the 10 Pontiac inmates.
Assistant State’s Attorney
Judge Jackson started her professional career in 1973 as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney. She left that position to become an Assistant United State’s Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, where she was assigned to the Criminal Division.
Private Practice
Upon leaving the United State’s Attorney’s Office in 1979, Judge Jackson entered private practice where she concentrated in criminal defense litigation, handling cases on both the state and federal level.
Academic Teaching
While in private practice, Judge Jackson taught and lectured all across the country on trial advocacy with an emphasis on cross examination. This included three years as an Adjunct Professor at DePaul University teaching trial advocacy and many years on the faculty of the Nation Criminal Defense College at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.
Marianne cross examining the lead prosecutor concerning prosecutorial misconduct in the El Rukn trials in federal court in 1993. (actual courtroom sketch)
Professional Career -Overview
Professional Career -Specific Accomplishments
Admitted to Practice Before the Following Courts:
•Illinois State Bar 1973
•Northern District of Illinois 1973
•7th Circuit Court of Appeals 1975
•United States Supreme Court 1980
Professional Experience:
December 1997 – Present : Associate Judge Circuit Court of Cook County
1979 – 1997: Private Practice of Law
Circa 1983-1987: Adjunct Professor-Trial Advocacy, DePaul University College of Law
1974 – 1997: Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA)
1973 – 1974: Assistant State’s Attorney (ASA)
Professional Activities:
Panelist: Law Ed Criminal Justice Seminar
Attorney Self Defense & Hearsay Exemptions
Illinois Staff Bar Association
November, 1989
Speaker: New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
“Cross Examination to Kill Informants”
November, 1991
Faculty Member: Trial Skills Academy
Institute for Criminal Defense Advocacy
Case Western School of Law
May, 1992
Faculty Member: Advanced Federal Criminal Law
Short Course; “Cross Examination of Snitches”
Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association
September, 1993
Speaker: “Passing the Torch”
A Seminar on Trial Skills-Cross Examination
African American Defender Association
April, 1994
Speaker: Administrative Office of the US Courts &
The National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
“Cross Examination”
May, 1994
Speaker: “Advanced Trial Skills; Cross Examination”
Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
August, 1994
Judge/ Evaluator: Trial Practice Workshop Teaching Team
Mandell Legal Clinic
University of Chicago Law School
October, 1994
Speaker: Chicago Bar Association (CBA) Luncheon Series
“Famous Chicago Trials”
Pontiac Prison Riot Case
May, 1995
Judge/Evaluator: Intensive Trial Practice Workshop Team
Mandell Legal Clinic
University of Chicago Law School
August, 1995
Speaker: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
“Uncensored Advocacy-Cross Examination”
1995
Speaker: “Roaster” Honoring the Honorable George N. Leighton
Illinois Attorneys for Criminal Justice
September, 1995
Panelist/Presenter: Seventh Annual Minority and Women Attorney’s Conference
Illinois State Bar Association
May, 1996
Speaker: “Defending Gang Cases”
National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
May 1996
Speaker: “Cross Examination of Cops & Snitches”
Washington Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
June, 1996
Panelist: A Meeting with the Masters, “What’s Expected of Us?”
Amicus Curiae Conference
1996
Speaker: “Secrets of Success in Defending Gang Cases”
Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
February, 1997
Speaker: “Cross Examining; Snitches and Informants”
Office of the Public Defender
Baltimore, Maryland
April, 1997
Judge/Evaluator: National Criminal Justice Trial
Advocacy Competition
Chicago, Illinois
April, 1997
Judge/Evaluator: Trial Practice Workshop Teaching Team
Mandell Legal Clinic
University of Chicago Law School
October, 1998
Lecturer: Federal Trial Bar Training Course
October, 1999
Judge: Intensive Trial Practice Workshop
1999
Panelist: Federal Trial Seminar
Jury Selection – (Batson Violations & Cross Examination)
August, 2001
Panelist: Juvenile Justice Symposium
National Bar Association
November 20, 2002
Speaker: “Girls 2 Women Conference”
Juvenile Justice Probation Department
October, 2004
Judge: Mock Trial Exercises
“Championing Our Students”
Chicago Bar Association
August, 2009
Panelist: “Out of the Mouth of Babes”
False Confessions and the Wrongful Convictions of Youth
Bluhm Legal Clinic
Northwestern School of Law
2009
Publications:
Authored: Discovery in Criminal Cases
Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE)
June, 1988
Chapter Supplemented in 1991.
Professional Organizations:
•Illinois Judges Association
•Illinois Judicial Council
•National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
•Cook County Bar Association
Formerly:
•Federal Bar Association
•Federal Trial Bar
•Federal Defender Panel
•National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
•Founding member, Illinois Attorneys for Criminal Justice
•Founding member Minority Legal Educations, Resources, Inc. (MLER)
Associate Judge Jackson
Judge Marianne Jackson was nominated to the bench as an Associate Judge in November 1997. She has been assigned to the Juvenile Justice Division for the past 14 years.
She now handles a geographical calendar that encompasses the Far West Side, as well as the Juvenile Justice Drug Treatment Program. Judge Jackson has helped form an initiative to help arrested youths in high-crime neighborhoods break the cycle of arrests.
After being an associate Judge for 16 years, she is now running to be a circuit court judge.
Civic & Community Involvement
Judge Jackson is an active member of the Central Austin Neighborhood Association (CANA) which seeks to bring together all members of the neighborhood to advocate for improvement in our neighborhood. The members pool their times, expertise, and resources to accomplish common goals.
Judge Jackson attends Bryn Mawr Community, United Church of Christ and is active with the youth. She is very involved in Project Angel Tree, providing support and gifts to the children of the incarcerated during the holidays. She is also a small group discussion leader and has previously been the President of the Board of Christian Education
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Marianne Jackson