Odas Nicholson | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of Odas Nicholson published in Illinois Blue Book. | |
| Delegate to Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention | |
| In office 1969–1970 | |
| Cook County Circuit Court judge | |
| In office 1980–1994 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 25, 1924 Pickens, Mississippi |
| Died | March 10, 2012 (aged 87) Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | |
Odas Nicholson (March 25, 1924 – March 10, 2012)[1] was an attorney, activist and judge in Illinois.
Nicholson was a delegate to and secretary of the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention, which produced Illinois' first new constitution in 100 years.[2] In that capacity she is credited with two key provisions of the Constitution of Illinois: the prohibition on gender discrimination and the language in the preamble numbering among the purposes of the constitution to "eliminate poverty and inequality".[3] Nicholson was closely associated with the Daley machine. Litigation contesting her election as a constitutional convention delegate gave rise to the Shakman Decree, which shaped Illinois and Chicago politics for decades.
She was the first African American woman in a number of roles, including being the first to graduate from DePaul College of Law, the first to helm the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, and the first to serve as a judge in the Law Division of the Cook County Circuit Court.[3]
- ^ "Services set for Judge Odas Nicholson". Chicago Defender. 2012-03-14. Retrieved 2023-05-30.
- ^ Lousin, Ann (2011). The Illinois State Constitution. Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States. Oxford University Press. p. 28. ISBN 978-0199766925.
- ^ a b Krajelis, Bethany (2012-03-19). "Nicholson Inspires Others: First black, female Law Division judge, WBAI president dies earlier this month" (PDF). Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Vol. 158, no. 54. p. 1.