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Death of Judge Jack B. Schmetterer

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

We regret to report that U. S. Bankruptcy Judge Jack B. Schmetterer, who retired from the court at the end of September, has died.  

Judge Schmetterer was originally appointed in 1985 and served the court for 36 years, making him the longest-serving judge in the court’s history.  During his judicial career, he published well over 900 opinions.

An Illinois native and a graduate of Oak Park High School, Judge Schmetterer received his B.A. from Yale University in 1952 and his J.D. from Yale in 1955.  He had a long career in public service even before his appointment to the bench, serving as a Trustee of the Village of Northbrook, a Trustee of the North Shore Mass Transit District, First Assistant Cook County State’s Attorney, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  In 2018, Chicago's Decalogue Society of Lawyers honored Judge Schmetterer with its inaugural Ilana Diamond Rovner Lifetime Achievement Award.

Judge Schmetterer was devoted to the court and to the rule of law.  He will be missed.