Current Administrative Law Section Public Hearing Schedule

Hon. Brian Weinthal joined the Illinois Human Rights Commission as the Chief Administrative Law Judge in February of 2022.  Prior to serving as Chief Administrative Law Judge, Mr. Weinthal spent nearly twenty years in private practice, appearing as a litigator in both commercial and employment cases in courts around the country.  Although he has extensive experience trying cases as a "first-chair" lawyer, Chief Judge Weinthal is also a trained advocate who previously represented clients at a broad range of alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") proceedings, including both mediations and arbitrations.  He is a member of the bars of Illinois, California, and the District of Columbia (where he previously served as a mediator for the D.C. Superior Court).  Before working in private practice, Judge Weinthal spent six years on active military duty with the United States Navy's Judge Advocate General's Corps (JAG).  Eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, Judge Weinthal defended clients at contested court-martials involving allegations of inchoate, pecuniary, and violent crimes.  As his final duty with the U.S. Navy, Judge Weinthal served as prosecutor for the Office of Military Commissions—the litigating unit responsible for indicting suspected terrorists confined by the Department of Defense at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Chief Judge Weinthal received his law degree from Northwestern University, with a concentration in "Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution."  He also holds an advanced law degree (an LL.M.) in "Litigation and Dispute Resolution" from the George Washington University School of Law.  Judge Weinthal is admitted to the Trial Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and was previously awarded several high honors by the United States military, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.  Chief Judge Weinthal is a strong proponent of personal relationships and mentoring, and a staunch advocate of greater diversity and equality in all settings.

Hon. Azeema Akram joined the Illinois Human Rights Commission as an Administrative Law Judge in June 2021.  Prior to that, she was an Administrative Law Judge and arbitrator at the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC), adjudicating matters involving railroad safety, motor carrier licensing and various regulatory violations.  Judge Akram has substantial litigation experience across State agencies, owing to her prior service in varied roles at the ICC and the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation (IDFPR).  At IDFPR, Judge Akram also served as an Assistant General Counsel, where she provided legal counsel to professional boards (e.g., the Illinois Medical Licensing and Disciplinary Boards), and drafted and negotiated significant legislation and administrative rules with various professional industries and members of the General Assembly.

As a hard-of-hearing attorney, Judge Akram has engaged in work inside and outside of State government to advocate for increased accessibility for people with disabilities.  She speaks regularly to attorneys and judges on court accessibility, and previously presented at the Commission's Lunch and Learn CLE on Accommodating People with Disabilities in State Administrative Proceedings.  She is also a Community Representative on the RTA's Paratransit Certification Formal Appeals Program Eligibility Review Board. In December 2019, Judge Akram became one of 34 members of the national Deaf & Hard of Hearing Bar Association to be sworn into the United States Supreme Court Bar. Judge Akram has been published in the American Bar Association Journal and was awarded the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Arts & Science 2021 Distinguished Alumni Award. She is a member of the Alumni Diversity Counsel at her alma mater, DePaul University College of Law, and is engaged in several other civic and legal organizations.

Hon. William J. Borah has been a judge with the Illinois Human Rights Commission since 2009. Prior to his appointment, he spent 27 years in private practice concentrating in employment law, representing both the employer and employee before both state and federal courts, and most employment agencies. Among the many bar leadership positions held, including President of the South Suburban Bar Association, Judge Borah was Chair of the ISBA Labor & Employment Law Section Council in 2005 – 2006 and returned to the position of Chair in 2014 – 2015. He is also a speaker, author, moot court trial judge, and recipient of numerous awards and recognitions. A number of his cases and decisions have received local and national attention. Borah's article on workplace sexual harassment, published in the Illinois Bar Journal (IBJ) in 2008, was rated as of "national significance" by West Publishing. A second article on the First Amendment and church employment, published in IBJ's July 2010 issue, received the same national recognition.

Hon. Kathleen McGee joined the Illinois Human Rights Commission as an Administrative Law Judge in August 2022. Before her recent appointment, she worked in multiple capacities with the Lake County Public Defender's Office and the Lake County State's Attorney's Office. She has practiced law for over 22 years and has handled criminal, juvenile, and abuse and neglect cases, as well as other civil matters. Kathleen also serves as a teen court judge with North Chicago's NICASA Teen Court Program. Kathleen McGee received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Missouri State University, with a minor in Gender Studies, and her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Kathleen has been published in the Lake County Bar Association periodical, The Docket. In addition, she has presented legal education on a myriad of matters, most relating to the struggles of indigent and marginalized persons.  Kathleen tries to limit the advice she gives to others but freely shares a bit of wisdom from American humorist Molly Ivins, "[t]he thing is this: You got to have fun while you're fightin' for freedom, 'cause you don't always win."

Hon. Michael R. Robinson joined the Human Rights Commission as an Administrative Law Judge in its Springfield office in 1993. 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, 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. Judge Robinson has 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 has also written chapters on federal subject matter jurisdiction and Social Security benefits for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education.