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\u00a0Local Federal Judge Strives to be the Best\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Aggressive legal advertising is what encouraged Joe McDade to first become a judge. Although he knew as a boy that he would become a lawyer he went much farther than that. Appointed as the first African American judge on the bench in the 10th<\/sup> circuit, the Bradley graduate said, \u201cIt wasn\u2019t planned. I was reacting to circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n Those circumstances were advertising. In 1960\u2019s, lawyers began to use ads to sell their services at lower rates just like any other commercial goods. This new form of advertising began to directly affect McDade, as the ads were targeting his main audience: clients who needed legal counsel in things such as family law, criminal law and bankruptcy.<\/p>\n The booming advertising movement among lawyers forced McDade to choose.<\/p>\n \u201cI either had to join them and start advertising or suffer the financial consequences,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n So he decided not advertise.<\/p>\n \u201cIt went against my principals. I don\u2019t think lawyers were selling the same type of wares you buy in the open market. We were more professional. We were doing a service. So the thought popped in my mind that maybe I could be a judge.\u201d<\/p>\n McDade applied to become an associate judge in 1982 and got the job. However, as an associate he was not a presiding judge over the court. \u00a0He wasn\u2019t satisfied with just that; he wanted the best job: a full circuit judge. As a circuit judge, McDade would be able to conduct trials and make judgments.<\/p>\n \u201cI ran for election as a circuit judge in 1988 and won. That movement really reflected my desire to be the best.\u201d Mcdade\u2019s hunger to be the best was reflected in his work on the bench.<\/p>\n \u201cI was apprehensive; I wanted things to be right. It was uncomfortable for me if I didn\u2019t feel like something was the best choice.\u201d<\/p>\n His ruling in the 1996 Mitsubishi Motors<\/a> sexual harassment case is one example of his commitment to making the best decisions. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or the EEOC sued the company on behalf of 300 female staff members who maintained they had experienced repeated harassment at the Mitsubishi headquarters in Normal, Ill.<\/p>\n Judge McDade ruled that the EEOC could in fact bring a pattern practice case against the motor company regarding sexual harassment. His ruling became the blueprint for the EEOC, who now use it as a routine way to build sexual harassment cases against large companies. McDade said he is proud of his work but maintains that being a judge has its challenges.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a judge is lonely. Many of the groups I\u2019ve been invited to join is simply because I am a judge, but even through all of that, I am happy. I\u2019ve lived a full life.\u201d<\/p>\n The former Bradley athlete is also content with his job, but there are still some things he\u2019d like to change. As a judge there are mandatory sentences<\/a> that must be given to offenders who commit a particular crime. Mandatory sentencing was enacted by the United States congress in 1952. After the new legislation was passed judges were forced to make decisions based on protocol rather than decisions based on the individual and their needs sending offenders away for an upwards of 15 to 20 years. These minimum sentences have led to overcrowded jails and unbearable costs to citizens who pay taxes.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s caused a disproportionate amount of Blacks and Hispanics to be placed in jail for things like drug trafficking. The law needs to be changed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n After 22 years of service as a judge, he is still thinking of ways that the best decisions can be made for the people. Although McDade<\/a> has endured many obstacles including, losing both parents at a young age and being raised by his grandmother, with very little McDade has triumphed in many different facets of his life and attributes it to the lessons he\u2019s learned.<\/p>\n Today, McDade serves as a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois; receiving his nomination for the seat from former President George H.W. Bush in 1991. As Judge McDade gets older he continues to work and offers this bit of advice.<\/p>\n \u201cDo everything in confidence and be the best. My confidence was once limited. I missed opportunities because of that. I know now that with confidence you will go further.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Who is Judge McDade off the bench?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Want to know about Judge McDade? Watch as some who are closest to him explain his personality and all of the makings of this extraordinary man. From the advice he’s given to how he gives back to the city of Peoria!<\/p>\n