Former Kane Judge Donald Hudson dies of cancer

Former Kane County Judge Donald C. Hudson died of cancer April 10 in his home in St. Charles. He was 74.

During his 2006 term as chief judge in Kane County, Hudson established the Treatment Alternative Court – known also as the Mental Health Court – to provide holistic social services for those with addiction and mental health issues to keep them out of the jail system, according to news releases and his obituary.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness gave Hudson an award in 2014 recognizing his initiative and dedication in creating the Kane County Treatment Alternative Court. Hudson also received an award from the Ecker Center for Mental Health in Elgin, as well as the Justice Benjamin K. Miller Recognition Award for his commitment to the purpose of the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Councils.

Hudson also established a free counseling session program for citizens who served on juries for traumatic or violent cases.

In a news release from Kane County Court, Chief Judge Clint Hull remembered when he was at his first assignment as a new prosecutor in 1993: It was traffic court in front of Hudson.

“I look back at those years so grateful that Judge Hudson was the first judge I appeared in front of,” Hull said in the release. “He was respectful to all those that appeared before him, always prepared, and so helpful in teaching me and countless other young attorneys the skills necessary to be successful attorneys. … He cared deeply about the 16th Judicial Circuit and all the people that worked in its behalf. His impact will be felt for years to come. He will be missed.”

Retired Kane County Chief Judge Judith Brawka said in a release that, “Sadly, the Kane County justice system has lost three decades of judicial wisdom with the passing of Justice Don Hudson. As a colleague, he was always supportive of his fellow judges and never hesitated to share his time and knowledge. Justice Hudson was just as fair, thoughtful and even-tempered in the trial court as he was on the appellate bench. He did not create or tolerate drama in any legal proceedings, and he demanded no more of the lawyers and parties than he did of himself.”

Brawka said Hudson also was “a music trivia genius.”

“So, he would hopefully appreciate this riff on the closing line from ‘The End’ being sung about him: ‘And in the end, the respect he was given was equal to the respect he gave others,’” Brawka said.

Brawka described Hudson as living by his own words.

He wrote in a Chicago Daily Law Bulletin article published Dec. 18, 2002, that, “There are two good qualities a judge should have, and that’s having respect for yourself and having respect for those people who appear before you.”

When Hudson was in private practice – before his appointment as an associate judge – attorney Gary Johnson, himself a former Kane County State’s Attorney – remembered Hudson as an “outstanding trial lawyer.”

“Everyone learned something from him. And he led by example. He wasn’t afraid to mix it up in the courtroom,” Johnson said in the release. “One of the good guys. A wonderful human being.”

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said in a release from Illinois Courts that Hudson’s death “is a huge loss to Illinois and our judiciary.”

“Don has been a leader in so many ways and he really shined when it came to education and ethics,” Theis said. “The court frequently called on him to bring people together for a consensus on a difficult topic. He will be remembered as a bright and thoughtful person who was a pleasure to be around. I will miss him dearly.”

Hudson was born and raised in Chicago. He became an associate judge in 1993, was elected 16th Judicial Circuit judge in 2000 and became Chief Judge in 2004. He was reelected in 2006 and served on the Second Appellate Court in Elgin since 2009, according to news releases about his death.

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Hudson to be the chair of the Supreme Court’s Statewide Committee on Criminal Law and Probation Administration in January 2005. In 2006 and 2007, he was reappointed by the Supreme Court as chair of that committee.

Hudson was a faculty member for the Illinois Education Conference and taught the Education Conference classes. Hudson was appointed to the Judicial Inquiry Board in April 2007 and was elected chair of the board in June 2008. In December 2008, he was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to be the chair of a Special Supreme Court Committee whose mandate is to codify the law of evidence in the state of Illinois.

Hudson also served on the Illinois State Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Council and served several terms as the chairman of the Kane County Bar Association’s Criminal Law Committee.

Visitation for Hudson will be from 1 to 7 p.m. April 16 at Malone Funeral Home, 324 E. State St., Geneva, with a liturgical wake service at 6:45 p.m.

Funeral Mass will be at 10:30 a.m. April 17 at St. Peter Catholic Church, 1891 Kaneville Road, Geneva.

Burial will follow at Mount Carmel Catholic Cemetery in Hillside.