Judges gathered at the federal courthouse in Rockford to celebrate the 35th anniversary of a full-time district judge for the region.
The local division of the U.S. District Court moved from Freeport to Rockford in the 1970s. But its district judge, Stanley Roszkowski, could only travel there once a month to hear cases while maintaining a full presence in Chicago. Roszkowski’s son John said that soon changed.
"The federal court eventually had enough filings to establish a full-time court presence in Rockford and my father was named the first full-time U.S. District Judge of the Western Division in 1984, " he said.
Ever since, the U.S. District Court has maintained a full-time presence in Rockford. The city’s newest federal courthouse, built in 2011, also bears the judge’s name. Roszkowski passed away in 2014, but his family, friends and colleagues were all present to commemorate the impact he had on the court’s continued success.
This year also marks the 200th anniversary of federal courts in Illinois.