Kane County Associate Judge T. Jordan Gallagher died Saturday night. Gallagher, 63, had been ill, and he had not been in court since May, but F. Keith Brown, the chief judge of the 16th Judicial Circuit, said Gallagher's death came as a surprise.
"He has been suffering from some illness, which we've known about for the past number of months," Brown said, declining to reveal specifics of the illness. "But it was unexpected."
Gallagher had worked as a state's attorney in DeKalb County from 1976 to 1984, and he also was a special assistant attorney general. He also had a private practice in DeKalb and Sycamore.
He was a 1965 graduate of DeKalb High School and graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1969 and the Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1972.
Brown said he had worked with Gallagher for years and that he had moved him to the felony division. He said Gallagher would be missed.
"I am very saddened," Brown said. "He was a good friend and colleague, and he was also one of our best judges. Not only was he smart, but he had compassion and could also make the tough calls."
Judge Ed Schreiber had been assigned Gallagher's cases, and Brown said a permanent decision would be made at an appropriate time.
"When things have been settled, we will review what our options are," Brown said.
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