Before his untimely passing in 2024, Michael R. Robinson served as an Administrative Law Judge in the Human Rights Commission’s Springfield office for over 30 years.  Judge Robinson received his B.A. degree in history from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and his J.D. from the University of Nebraska.  Prior to joining the Commission, Judge Robinson practiced with the law firm of Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen in Urbana.  Prior to that, he served as a senior research attorney for the Illinois Supreme Court Research Department.  While he was on the bench, Judge Robinson authored several articles for the Illinois State Bar Association's Illinois Bar Journal, of which three were cited as winners of the Lincoln Legal Writing Award.  He also wrote chapters on both federal subject matter jurisdiction and social security benefits for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

Brilliant, pragmatic, and unwaveringly patient with self-represented parties, Judge Robinson embodied what it meant to be a “people’s judge” in the modern age.  The folksy (yet academic) tenor of his rulings would immediately pull the casual reader into the storyline of any case, with a well-researched exposition of the law preceding a proper denouement in which we would learn whether “Our Complainant” would ultimately receive the legal relief that had been sought.  We will miss those exceptional writings now that one of the most ardent champions of human rights in the history of this state has been laid to rest.

But in the loss, we also find hope.  Judge Robinson was an equalizer for victims of discrimination who did not have a voice, and his hundreds of opinions interpreting (and refining) the Illinois Human Rights Act will forever serve as a guidepost for the generations that follow in the never-ending fight for equality under the law.

Judge Robinson’s service made a difference, and that’s not something everyone can say.  The Commission will miss his wisdom and guidance, and we look forward to applying the best of what he taught us to the decisions and hearings still to come.

In Cherished Memory and Esteemed Legacy,

Hon. Michael R. Robinson
April 13, 1954 – April 12, 2024