An Interview with Stuart H. Shiffman Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission

An Interview with Stuart H. Shiffman Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission Stuart H. Shiffman worked in the Attorney General’s office, opinions division, from 1974-75, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s office from 1975-79, returned to the Attorney General’s office, this time in the criminal division, from 1979-80, and then returned to the State’s Attorney’s office from 1980-83. In 1983, he was appointed an Associate Circuit Judge in the 7th Judicial Circuit and served in that capacity until 2006. After his retirement from the judiciary Judge Shiffman worked for the State Appellate Defender and in private practice with the law firm Feldman Wasser. Interview Dates: May 29, 2015, January 16, 2016, and June 14, 2016 Interview Location: Law office of Judge Shiffman, Feldman Wasser, Springfield, Illinois Interview Format: Video Interviewer: Justin Law, Oral Historian, Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission Technical Assistance: Matt Burns, Director of Administration, Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission Transcription: Interview One: Benjamin Belzer, Collections Manager/Research Associate, Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission Interview Two and Three: Ashlee Leach, Transcriptionist, Loveland, Colorado Editing: Justin Law Total pages: Interview One, 58; Interview Two, 84; Interview Three, 69 Total time: Interview One, 02:14:09; Interview Two, 3:00:47; Interview Three, 2:48:12 1 Abstract Stuart H. Shiffman Biographical: Stuart H. Shiffman was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 4, 1948 and spent his early life in Chicago, and later Skokie, Illinois. After graduating from Evanston High School in 1966, he attended and received a degree from Northwestern University in 1970. After working in Chicago for a year, he attended and graduated from DePaul University Law School in 1974. From 1974- 75, he worked in the Attorney General’s office, opinions division, in Springfield, Illinois. In 1975, he joined the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s office, working as an assistant state’s attorney, and served in that position until his return to the Attorney General’s office, this time in the criminal division, in 1979. In 1980, he returned to the State’s Attorney’s office, serving until 1983, when he was appointed an Associate Circuit Judge. From 1983-2006, Shiffman served as an Associate Circuit Judge in the 7th Judicial Circuit. Upon his retirement from the bench, Judge Shiffman served in the State Appellate Defender’s office and in private practice with the law firm Feldman Wasser in Springfield, Illinois. Shiffman, and his wife Merle, are the parents of three children: Sara, Jessica, and Anthony. Topics Covered: Parents and family history; early life in Chicago and Skokie, Illinois; Cold War; Cuban Missile Crisis; 1960 election; teenage years; reading and books; early jobs; influential teachers; Vietnam war; the draft; Northwestern University and undergraduate education; conception of his generation; political and social views as a young man; decision to study law; DePaul University Law School and legal education; finding a job in Springfield; Springfield, Illinois; nature of the local bar; Jewish community in Springfield; meeting Merle, and family; Attorney General’s office; finding a job with the State’s Attorney’s office; prominent attorneys; work with State’s Attorney’s office; memories of cases and judges; People v. Aldridge; People v. McCarty; returning to Attorney General’s office; appellate work; People v. Brownell; Attorney General William Scott; return to State’s Attorney’s office; memories of cases and judges; change in legal work over time; decision to become a judge; getting a judgeship; politics of the judiciary; assignments and work as a judge; domestic relations; criminal and civil cases; reappointment; changes in legal work over time; running for circuit judge; judicial elections; memories of cases; work in Chicago; criminal justice system; death penalty and change over time; letter to the editor; the judiciary and the media; enhancing the public’s awareness of what the judiciary does; bar associations and the judiciary; politics of the judiciary; role of judiciary and lawyers in society; pro bono and philanthropic work; civic engagement; future of the profession; legacy; and activities after retirement from the bench. 2 Note: Readers of this oral history should note that this is a transcript of the spoken word, and that it has been edited for clarity and elaboration. The interviewer, interviewee, and editors attempted to preserve the informal, conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources while also editing for clarity and elaboration. The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission is not responsible for the factual accuracy of the oral history, nor for the views expressed therein. 3 Judge Stuart Shiffman: An Oral History LAW: [This is an oral history interview with] Judge Stuart Shiffman, today’s date is May the 29th, 2015, we’re in his law offices here in Springfield, Illinois. Judge Shiffman I thought we would start with, when and where were you born? SHIFFMAN: I was born March 4th, 1948, in Chicago, Illinois, at Michael Reese Hospital. I am the second child of the marriage. My brother Stephen is four-and-a-half years older, and he was born, also, in Chicago. My parents were married in Winnipeg, Canada, June, I believe it was June 15th, 1941. I know the year because my mother always had on her license plate, her Illinois license plate, was Winnipeg 1941, WPG 1941. They were married, when they were married my father lived in Chicago, he’d come to Chicago in the [19] ‘30’s and she moved, she always used to talk about how it was really somewhat traumatic for her because she got married in June and then moved to Chicago and spent the rest of their lives in the Chicago area until my dad passed away in 2001 and my mother passed away in 2012 [2013], both in January. LAW: Now tell me a little bit more about your dad, Max, and his background? SHIFFMAN: Well my dad came to the states, as I said, in the early [19] ‘30’s. His family moved – both my families, both my mother’s and father’s families lived in Winnipeg, they came, when they came to this country, both came from Russia or what would be parts of Russia around the turn of the century. We have documents, we’ve seen some of the books from Ellis Island, where they signed in and they came, but they didn’t come together but they just ended up in Winnipeg, they ended up in Canada. I’m pretty sure back in those days it was not quite as easy to get into the United States as it’s been at 4 other times. So they came and they went to Canada which was a haven for immigrants at that time. It was always kind of interesting because both my mother’s family and my father’s family – obviously my father’s family are the Shiffmans and my mother’s maiden name was Zipursky, and both families came to Canada. Most of the Shiffmans moved eventually from Canada to the United States, many came to Chicago, both my mother and father were parts of large families, I believe both had nine or even perhaps, nine brothers and sisters. But most of the Shiffmans moved to the United States, they came to Chicago, a few came and went to the west coast. My mother’s family stayed in Canada, but moved across Canada, some stayed in Winnipeg, a couple moved to Calgary, a couple others moved to Vancouver, and as I grew up it was really kind of interesting having these large families. We had the Shiffmans here in Chicago and we were a very close family, not just my brother and I, but, I remember doing all kinds of activities with all members of the family, we actually had, the family would get together once a month for dinner, poker, the women would visit, and then we had my mother’s family spread all across Canada and we would go to a lot of family functions and events across Canada, everywhere just about but Quebec, they were in Alberta, they were in Manitoba, still are, some, right now. LAW: Did you ever know your dad’s father?1 SHIFFMAN: I did, my dad’s father, he was in Chicago, both my grandparents, I never knew my mother’s parents because I believe they actually passed away before I was born but my father’s parents both lived in Chicago and my grandfather, he had a newsstand at one point and I never really remember, he died when I was, I think, twelve or thirteen years 1 Moses Shiffman. 5 old and he was not like a modern grandfather, by that I mean he never came to my Little League games, he never came to school events or anything, he was a very quiet man, he was somewhat scholarly, in a religious way, I don’t know exactly what he did and of course I never asked, he was kind of the leader of the family for Jewish holidays and things he was always the man in charge, and I would talk to him every once in a while but his English was not the best, he spoke English but as they used to say, my mother would say, “He spoke English with a broken hand-writing,” but he spoke English. On the other hand, my grandmother did not speak English, she spoke mostly Yiddish and growing up I remember my parents spoke Yiddish as well, and that was of course the time when you were sitting down if you were having dinner at home you knew they were going to talk about something they didn’t want you to hear because they immediately started speaking in Yiddish.

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