By Kristin DiMaggio
One might think that a retired judge may look back at his or her work with a heavy mind and a bit of stress. Retired Judge John A. Gorman is not one of these judges. Instead, he recounts his years on the bench with positivity, crediting much of his success to him being “very lucky” and having a supportive family structure. This map shows how important family is to Gorman, as he never strayed too far with work or schooling.
The family law man
For some, the idea of a town small enough to not have a single lawyer living in it is unfathomable. But for one retired judge, this was his childhood reality and a driving force for him to learn more about the profession.
Growing up in Flanagan, Illinois, retired 10th Judicial Circuit Court judge John A. Gorman traces his interest in law back to his childhood, where cites the Riley family from a Eureka as being one of his first experiences with the law and lawyers.
It was not until Gorman attended college at Illinois Wesleyan University that the idea of studying law became a tangible possibility. As a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, Gorman met influential alums who helped to guide him toward a new professional goal.
“It came down to whether I wanted to be a lawyer or go to medical school,” he said. “[My mother had] been an RN, and she said ‘John, for heaven sakes, don’t try and become a doctor. You are too fussy.’”
Gorman laughed as he spoke of his mother, and when he speaks about his parents and his own family, it’s easy to see that this is one of the more important aspects of Gorman’s life. With three daughters, a wife and seven grandchildren, it’s easy to see how highly he values his family.
“Grandchildren are the greatest invention,” he said.
The University of Illinois College of Law is where Gorman continued his education. While he said that there were a number of other schools that he had applied to, this one happened to be close to his family, all of whom lived relatively close to each other in Central Illinois.
Gorman’s journey to becoming a judge started at a Peoria law firm, where he worked with Jordan Fifield and Boyd Goldsworthy and where he eventually became a partner. He stayed for the next 12 years until he went on to become an associate judge in 1979.
During his time at the firm with Goldsworthy and Fifield, Gorman’s wife fell incredibly ill, to the point that she needed various surgeries. The doctors told him to slow up on work and spend more time at home. This was difficult for him, he said.
“I was unable to use the discipline on myself that I needed to not do what I thought I needed to do with my law practice,” he said.
Shortly after this Gorman was appointed to a circuit court judgeship. This was a career move that worked both with what he was trying to accomplish for his family, as well as giving him more time to spend with them.
“It’s a different situation,” he said. “You know the courthouse opens at [around] 8:30, and you try and get done so the people can get out by five o’clock. And you can schedule things how you need to schedule them.”
Gorman moved his way up in the judicial court for 20 years, until he became a magistrate judge in the federal district court for Central Illinois, where he served for 14 years until his retirement in 2014.
Gorman doesn’t come to reminisce about his favorite or memorable cases because he says they’re now in the past and no longer relevant.
Instead, he focuses on the blessings of his life as a whole.
“I’m very lucky,” he said. “I got to marry who I wanted to marry and do what I wanted to do my whole life. And when you come from a little town of 800 people […] that works out pretty good.”