Abner Mikva

Judge Abner Mikva holds the distinction of having served at a high level in all three branches of the federal government and in state government as well. He was elected in 1956 to the first of five consecutive terms in the Illinois General Assembly where he sponsored fair Employment Practices Legislation, Open Housing legislation, and labored to overhaul the Criminal Code. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968 and served for five terms as a member of the Judiciary Committee and then the Ways and Means Committee.

Appointed by President Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Abner served for fifteen years, the last four as Chief Judge. In 1994 Judge Mikva resigned from the bench to become White House Counsel to President William H. Clinton.

After service as a Navigator in the Army Air Corps in World War II, Judge Mikva received his law degree from the University of Chicago, graduating cum laude. He was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. Following graduation he served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Sherman Minton on the Supreme Court. During his time in private practice he represented the West Side Organization, an early community-civil rights organization which tried to break down prejudice in employment, housing, and schools. He argued many cases before the Supreme Court. The Judge has received many awards including the Paul H. Douglas Ethics in Government Award through the University of Illinois and the Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association. He currently serves as Senior Director of the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School.

Judge Mikva and his wife Zoe started a civic leadership program for Chicago youth in 1997 called the Mikva Challenge. This non-partisan organization works with over 3,500 youth a year getting them involved in experiential activities in the democratic process working as election judges, volunteering on campaigns, and creating local activism projects to improve their schools and communities.