Former Illinois Supreme Court chief justice from Springfield area dies at 87

Benjamin K. Miller, the first Illinois Supreme Court justice to come from Sangamon County who also served as chief justice, died at Springfield Memorial Hospital on Feb. 25.

He was 87.

The Springfield native was on the state Supreme Court from 1984 to 2001, representing the Fourth Judicial District, comprised of 30 counties including Sangamon County.

He was chief justice from 1991 to Jan. 1, 1994.

Miller was on the Fourth District Appellate Court when he first ran for the Supreme Court against James Craven, who was also on the appellate court, in 1984. Miller was re-elected in 1994.

As chief justice, Miller was instrumental in creating the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council, which helped improve the cooperation between the courts and other agencies involved in dealing with family violence.

The Justice Benjamin K. Miller Recognition Award was named for him and is given to honor outstanding members of the judiciary and community for efforts in preventing family violence.

“Justice Miller will forever be known as a giant of the Illinois judicial and legal communities,” Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said through a Supreme Court spokesman. “He provided steady leadership and moved the courts forward in a profound way. He was always looking to the future and for ways to improve the court system."

That was exemplified, Theis said, by Miller's creation of the Special Commission on the Administration of Justice, which examined the governance of Illinois courts, including the juvenile system.

Former Springfield Mayor Karen Hasara knew Miller for 70-plus years.

"He was very, very intelligent and he also was very ethical," Hasara said during a phone call Tuesday. "He would be upset by anyone who said something to the court or about the court that wasn't true. He took his cases very seriously.

"He loved Springfield and we're glad he decided to move back here a couple of years ago."

More: Miller honored with courthouse portrait

After retirement, Miller continued to practice law with the Chicago firm, Jenner & Block.

Miller was in private practice in Springfield after graduating from law school until 1976 when he was appointed to be a judge on the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court. Two years later, he was elected to that position. Miller served as presiding judge in the criminal felony division of the circuit court in Sangamon County from 1976 to 1980.

In 1981, Miller was elected chief judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, serving in that capacity until 1982.

A 1954 graduate of Springfield High School, Miller earned his bachelor of arts degree from Southern Illinois University and then earned his law degree from Vanderbilt University Law School. In 1991, Miller was awarded an honorary doctor of law degree from the John Marshall Law School.

Miller graduated from the U.S. Army Intelligence School in Maryland in 1962 and went on to serve in both the Army Reserves and Navy Reserves while practicing law in Springfield.

A one-time adjunct professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, Miller was keenly interested in the field of bioethics. He sailed his 37-foot boat “Adventure” on lengthy trips through the Caribbean and down to South America and traveled in Europe and South Africa in retirement, according to a news release from the supreme court.

Miller was bestowed the Order of Lincoln award, the state's highest honor for professional achievement and public service, in 2019.

Miller is survived by a sister and several nieces and nephews.

There will be a visitation ceremony and funeral for Miller at Butler Funeral Home-Springfield, 900 S. Sixth St., on March 23.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Former Illinois State Supreme Court Chief Justic Ben Miller dies at 87