John L. Nickels (January 16, 1931 – June 24, 2013) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

jurist. Born in

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage, Kane County, Illinois, Kane, Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall, and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Locat ...

, Nickels served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

in 1954. He received his bachelor's degree from Northern Illinois University and studied at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. He then received his law degree from DePaul University College of Law and practiced law. He served as an Illinois Circuit Court judge in 1982 and then as an Illinois Appellate Court judge in 1990. From 1992 to 1998, he served as an

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

justice. He died in

Maple Park, Illinois Maple Park is a village in DeKalb and Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 1,310 at the 2010 census, up from 765 in 2000. Maple Park was formerly known as Lodi. History Maple Park was originally called "Lodi", after Lo ...

, where he had lived on his farm.Illinois Supreme Court-Justice John L. Nickels

Notes

1931 births 2013 deaths People from Aurora, Illinois People from Maple Park, Illinois Military personnel from Illinois Farmers from Illinois Northern Illinois University alumni Northwestern University alumni DePaul University College of Law alumni Judges of the Illinois Appellate Court Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court 20th-century American judges {{Illinois-politician-stub