Barbara Flynn Currie
Encyclopedia
Barbara Flynn Currie is a Democratic
member of the Illinois House of Representatives
, representing the 25th District since 1979.
, South Shore
, Hyde Park
, and Kenwood
. Rep. Currie serves as majority leader
of the Illinois House of Representatives, a role she has had since 1997. She is the widow of the legal scholar David P. Currie
.
, Currie was named by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan
as the chairperson of the Illinois House committee to investigate Governor Blagojevich for possible impeachment as a result of federal corruption charges against him
. Blagojevich was subsequently impeached by the House and removed from office by the Illinois Senate
.
. Burris had been named by Blagojevich to fill President Barack Obama
's Senate seat, after the emergence of the corruption charges against Blagojevich but before Blagojevich's removal from office. Burris had neglected to mention fund-raising contacts by Blagojevich's brother Rob in his testimony, but then filed an affidavit with Currie, listing three such contacts, shortly after Feb. 5. Word of the new information did not reach the public, or the Republicans in the House, until its release in the Chicago Sun-Times on February 13, leading to questions of Currie and the Democrats by Republican
s including ranking impeachment committee member Jim Durkin
and House party leader Tom Cross
.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
member of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
, representing the 25th District since 1979.
Political career
Currie was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1978, and assumed office in January 1979. She represents the 25th District in Chicago which includes the communities of WoodlawnWoodlawn, Chicago
Woodlawn, located in the South Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois, USA, is one of 77 well defined Chicago community areas. It is bounded by Lake Michigan to the east, 60th Street to the north, Martin Luther King Drive to the west, and, mostly, 67th Street to the south...
, South Shore
South Shore, Chicago
South Shore is one of 77 well-defined community areas of the City of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. A predominately black neighborhood located along Chicago's southern lakefront, it is a relatively stable and gentrifying neighborhood...
, Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Chicago
Hyde Park, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States and seven miles south of the Chicago Loop, is a Chicago neighborhood and one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science...
, and Kenwood
Kenwood, Chicago
Kenwood, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois, is one of the 77 well-defined Chicago community areas.Kenwood was part of Hyde Park Township, which was annexed by the City of Chicago in 1889....
. Rep. Currie serves as majority leader
Majority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives
The office of Majority Leader of the Illinois House of Representatives, usually in practice called the Illinois House Majority Leader, is a statutory office of the Illinois House of Representatives.-Duties of office:...
of the Illinois House of Representatives, a role she has had since 1997. She is the widow of the legal scholar David P. Currie
David P. Currie
David P. Currie was the Edward H. Levi Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Chicago, noted for his histories of the Constitution in Congress and the Supreme Court, his casebooks on federal courts and conflict of laws, and his award-winning teaching at the Law School. He was the son...
.
Impeachment of Rod Blagojevich
In December 2008, following the arrest of Illinois Governor Rod BlagojevichRod Blagojevich
Rod R. Blagojevich is an American politician who served as the 40th Governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009. A Democrat, Blagojevich was a State Representative before being elected to the United States House of Representatives representing parts of Chicago...
, Currie was named by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan
Michael Madigan
Michael J. Madigan is the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois...
as the chairperson of the Illinois House committee to investigate Governor Blagojevich for possible impeachment as a result of federal corruption charges against him
Rod Blagojevich corruption charges
Rod Blagojevich, former Governor of Illinois, is an American politician under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation since 2005 for corruption. Blagojevich and his Chief of Staff John Harris were charged with corruption by federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald...
. Blagojevich was subsequently impeached by the House and removed from office by the Illinois Senate
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the state of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. The Illinois Senate is made up of 59 senators elected from...
.
Burris controversy
In February 2009, Currie was caught in a follow-on controversy over the impeachment testimony of now-U.S. Senator Roland BurrisRoland Burris
Roland Wallace Burris is a former United States Senator from the state of Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party....
. Burris had been named by Blagojevich to fill President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's Senate seat, after the emergence of the corruption charges against Blagojevich but before Blagojevich's removal from office. Burris had neglected to mention fund-raising contacts by Blagojevich's brother Rob in his testimony, but then filed an affidavit with Currie, listing three such contacts, shortly after Feb. 5. Word of the new information did not reach the public, or the Republicans in the House, until its release in the Chicago Sun-Times on February 13, leading to questions of Currie and the Democrats by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
s including ranking impeachment committee member Jim Durkin
Jim Durkin
Jim Durkin is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 82nd District since 2006 when he was sworn in to replace Eileen Lyons after she retired mid-term. He was elected on November 8, 2006, defeating Democrat Kim Savage. Durkin previously represented the 44th...
and House party leader Tom Cross
Tom Cross (politician)
Tom Cross is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 84th district where he has served since 1993...
.
External links
- Illinois General Assembly - Representative Barbara Flynn Currie (D) 25th District official IL House website
- Project Vote Smart - Representative Barbara Flynn Currie (IL) profile
- Follow the Money - Barbara Flynn Currie
- Illinois House Democrats - Barbara Flynn Currie profile