Joan Lefkow
Encyclopedia
Joan Humphrey Lefkow is a United States district court
judge
for the Northern District of Illinois
. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton
on May 11, 2000, to a seat vacated by Judge Ann Claire Williams
, and confirmed by the United States Senate
on June 30, 2000. Lefkow received her commission on July 11, 2000.
. She attended Wheaton College
in Illinois as an undergraduate, and obtained her Juris Doctor
(J.D.) degree at Northwestern University
law school in 1971. After graduation, she became a law clerk for Thomas E. Fairchild
. From 1982 to 1997 she was a United States Magistrate Judge
, and from 1997 to 2000 a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
case against the World Church of the Creator, an organization run by white supremacist leader Matthew F. Hale
. The TE-TA-MA Truth Foundation sued Hale's church for using the name Church of the Creator. Some argued against the validity of the suit because Hale's church had been using the name since 1973, but the Foundation had trademarked it in 1987, and no contest was filed against the trademark within a five-year period, making their ownership legally incontestable. In January 2002, Lefkow ruled in favor of Hale, but her decision was overturned on appeal. On July 25, Lefkow ruled against Hale, saying that his church infringed the Church of the Creator's trademark. (Hale's organization has since been renamed the Creativity Movement.)
An injunction was issued on November 19 forbidding Hale's church from using the term "Church of the Creator." Hale's World Church of the Creator was ordered to stop using the name on the Internet and to remove or cover up the phrase "Church of the Creator" on all of Hale's publications and products. In response to this decision, Hale sued Lefkow on December 24, falsely claiming that her order violated the Constitution in requiring the destruction of the group's bibles. Around this time, threats were made against Lefkow on the internet and her home address and family photographs of her husband and children were posted on the Stormfront.org
website.
Meanwhile, an undercover FBI informant taped a conversation with Hale where he asked about Lefkow's home address and discussed her impending "extermination". On January 8, 2003, Hale was arrested on charges of plotting to murder Lefkow. The FBI informant in that trial received several death threats, and Lefkow initially was protected by a detail of the United States Marshals Service
.
On April 24, Judge Lefkow ruled that the Creativity Movement had failed to stop using the name "World Church of the Creator" and should be fined $1,000 a day until it complied.
On April 6, 2005, Hale was sentenced to a 40-year prison term for soliciting an undercover FBI informant to kill Judge Lefkow.
Lefkow and her children were again placed under the protection of the United States Marshals Service
.
On May 18, 2005, Judge Lefkow testified before the U.S. Congress on the problem of providing security for judges, placing some of the blame for the attack on her family on rhetoric against judges issued by persons such as Pat Robertson
. Neo-Nazi radio host and FBI informant Hal Turner
asserted (proudly) that comments of his (which called for Lefkow's death) may have inspired the murders, however this was never verified.
, at 6 p.m. on March 9. As West Allis police officer Rick Orlowski approached the vehicle, the driver, identified as electrician Bart Ross, shot and killed himself. Later that night, a suicide note was found in the car which admitted to the murders of Lefkow's husband and mother, allegedly providing details about the crimes which would have been known only to the actual murderer. Ross was a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case that Lefkow had dismissed. Investigators also found over three hundred .22 caliber shells in the vehicle, casings of the same caliber that were found in the Lefkow home. DNA evidence from Ross allegedly matches the cigarette butt found in Lefkow's home. Ross also sent a handwritten letter to WMAQ-TV
describing breaking into the Lefkow home with a plan to kill the judge.
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
judge
Federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...
for the Northern District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....
. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
on May 11, 2000, to a seat vacated by Judge Ann Claire Williams
Ann Claire Williams
Ann Claire Williams is a United States Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.- Early life and education :Born in Detroit, Williams earned a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University in 1970...
, and confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
on June 30, 2000. Lefkow received her commission on July 11, 2000.
Early life
Lefkow was born in Nemaha County, KansasNemaha County, Kansas
Nemaha County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 10,178. The county seat is Seneca.- History :...
. She attended Wheaton College
Wheaton College (Illinois)
Wheaton College is a private, evangelical Protestant liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago in the United States...
in Illinois as an undergraduate, and obtained her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
(J.D.) degree at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
law school in 1971. After graduation, she became a law clerk for Thomas E. Fairchild
Thomas E. Fairchild
Thomas Edward Fairchild , was a U.S. federal judge and former politician from Wisconsin. Before his death, he served as a Senior Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit....
. From 1982 to 1997 she was a United States Magistrate Judge
United States magistrate judge
In the United States federal courts, magistrate judges are appointed to assist United States district court judges in the performance of their duties...
, and from 1997 to 2000 a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.
Matthew Hale
In May 2000, Judge Lefkow presided over the enforcement of a high-profile trademark infringementTrademark infringement
Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attaching to a trademark without the authorization of the trademark owner or any licensees...
case against the World Church of the Creator, an organization run by white supremacist leader Matthew F. Hale
Matthew F. Hale
Matthew F. Hale , more commonly known as Matt Hale, was the third Pontifex Maximus of the white supremacist religion, Creativity, and the founder of the group formerly known as the World Church of the Creator and now known as The Creativity Movement. The organization's headquarters were based in...
. The TE-TA-MA Truth Foundation sued Hale's church for using the name Church of the Creator. Some argued against the validity of the suit because Hale's church had been using the name since 1973, but the Foundation had trademarked it in 1987, and no contest was filed against the trademark within a five-year period, making their ownership legally incontestable. In January 2002, Lefkow ruled in favor of Hale, but her decision was overturned on appeal. On July 25, Lefkow ruled against Hale, saying that his church infringed the Church of the Creator's trademark. (Hale's organization has since been renamed the Creativity Movement.)
An injunction was issued on November 19 forbidding Hale's church from using the term "Church of the Creator." Hale's World Church of the Creator was ordered to stop using the name on the Internet and to remove or cover up the phrase "Church of the Creator" on all of Hale's publications and products. In response to this decision, Hale sued Lefkow on December 24, falsely claiming that her order violated the Constitution in requiring the destruction of the group's bibles. Around this time, threats were made against Lefkow on the internet and her home address and family photographs of her husband and children were posted on the Stormfront.org
Stormfront (website)
Stormfront is a white nationalist and supremacist neo-Nazi Internet forum that has been described as the Internet's first major hate site.Stormfront began as an online bulletin board system in the early 1990s before being established as a website in 1995 by former Ku Klux Klan leader and white...
website.
Meanwhile, an undercover FBI informant taped a conversation with Hale where he asked about Lefkow's home address and discussed her impending "extermination". On January 8, 2003, Hale was arrested on charges of plotting to murder Lefkow. The FBI informant in that trial received several death threats, and Lefkow initially was protected by a detail of the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
.
On April 24, Judge Lefkow ruled that the Creativity Movement had failed to stop using the name "World Church of the Creator" and should be fined $1,000 a day until it complied.
On April 6, 2005, Hale was sentenced to a 40-year prison term for soliciting an undercover FBI informant to kill Judge Lefkow.
Double homicide
On February 28, 2005, Lefkow returned home to find the bodies of both her husband and mother in the basement of her North Side home. According to an anonymous federal source, both Michael F. Lefkow, 64, and Donna Humphrey, 89, had been shot multiple times. The Cook County medical examiner's office stated that the victims were killed with .22 caliber shots to the head. No weapon was found at the scene, but two .22-caliber casings were recovered; evidence of a break-in was found as well. Initial suspicions focused on the possibility that hate groups were involved. On March 4, the FBI announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification of anyone involved in the slayings. On March 8, investigators announced that DNA samples were obtained from a cigarette butt found inside the kitchen sink. Further evidence was recovered in and around the home, including a fingerprint, a bloody footprint, and a soda can.Lefkow and her children were again placed under the protection of the United States Marshals Service
United States Marshals Service
The United States Marshals Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice . The office of U.S. Marshal is the oldest federal law enforcement office in the United States; it was created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
.
On May 18, 2005, Judge Lefkow testified before the U.S. Congress on the problem of providing security for judges, placing some of the blame for the attack on her family on rhetoric against judges issued by persons such as Pat Robertson
Pat Robertson
Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson is a media mogul, television evangelist, ex-Baptist minister and businessman who is politically aligned with the Christian Right in the United States....
. Neo-Nazi radio host and FBI informant Hal Turner
Hal Turner
Harold Charles "Hal" Turner is an American white nationalist, Holocaust denier and blogger from North Bergen, New Jersey. In August 2010, he was convicted for making threats against three federal judges with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals...
asserted (proudly) that comments of his (which called for Lefkow's death) may have inspired the murders, however this was never verified.
Bart Ross
On March 10, 2005, Chicago Police and federal agents announced a possible break in the case. According to investigators, a van was stopped during a traffic stop in West Allis, WisconsinWest Allis, Wisconsin
West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 61,254 at the 2000 census. Its name derives from Edward P. Allis, who started the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company in the 19th century. The site of the town was...
, at 6 p.m. on March 9. As West Allis police officer Rick Orlowski approached the vehicle, the driver, identified as electrician Bart Ross, shot and killed himself. Later that night, a suicide note was found in the car which admitted to the murders of Lefkow's husband and mother, allegedly providing details about the crimes which would have been known only to the actual murderer. Ross was a plaintiff in a medical malpractice case that Lefkow had dismissed. Investigators also found over three hundred .22 caliber shells in the vehicle, casings of the same caliber that were found in the Lefkow home. DNA evidence from Ross allegedly matches the cigarette butt found in Lefkow's home. Ross also sent a handwritten letter to WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV
WMAQ-TV, channel 5, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Chicago, Illinois. WMAQ-TV's main studios and offices are located within the NBC Tower in the Streeterville neighborhood, with an auxiliary street-level studio on the Magnificent Mile at 401...
describing breaking into the Lefkow home with a plan to kill the judge.
External links
- Judges of the United States Courts
- Southern Poverty Law Center, Intelligence Report