CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A panel of historians said the namesake of a longtime Chicago law school no longer passes the test of time.
The John Marshall Law School was founded in 1899. It was named after the fourth chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, who is considered one of the most consequential justices in the court's history.
The law school was private until it merged with the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2019.
After the merger, a task force looked into Marshall's history with slavery. While some historians said Marshall was personally opposed to slavery and represented some slaves in emancipation cases, he did own slaves and issued legal opinions protecting slave owners.
The task force report noted, “that despite Chief Justice Marshall’s legacy as one of the nation’s most significant U.S. Supreme Court justices, the newly discovered research regarding his role as a slave trader, slave owner of hundreds of slaves, pro-slavery jurisprudence, and racist views render him a highly inappropriate namesake for the Law School.”
“The university has arrived at this new name following a thorough and carefully studied process that included input from all corners of the institution and beyond, considered issues of racial injustice and aimed to ensure that our university continues to be a place where diversity, inclusion and equal opportunity are supported and advanced,” said UIC Chancellor Michael Amiridis, in a statement.
University of Illinois Board of Trustees voted this week to remove Marshall's name and portrait from the law school. Effective July 1, the school will change its name to the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
“The name of the school has changed, but it doesn’t erase its proud history or the impact of its faculty, alumni and students. As Chicago’s first and only public law school, our mission continues to center on academic excellence, diversity, student success and bettering the lives of the people of Chicago and beyond,” said Darby Dickerson, dean of the Law School, in a statement.
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