On the recordApril 28, 2016
it is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Judge Laura Cha-Yu Liu passed away last week. A longtime resident of Chicago, Judge Liu was only 49 years old. Although her time with us was far too short, her accomplishments were many. Judge Liu broke barriers. She was the first Chinese American woman to become judge in Illinois, the first Chinese American elected to public office in Cook County. And in 2014, Judge Liu became the first Asian American to serve on the Illinois appellate court. Her story is the story of the American dream. Born in Carbondale, IL, her parents were immigrants fleeing a dire political situation and the terrors of war. They came to this country as foreign exchange students in the hopes of providing a better life for their children. Liu's first language was Mandarin, and she started school speaking very little English. She overcame the language barrier and graduated as her high school's valedictorian. In 1987, she received a bachelor's degree from Youngstown State University and a law degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1991. As the daughter of immigrants, Judge Liu took extraordinary pride in her work on the Illinois Supreme Court's Access to Justice program, aimed at making the system more accessible to immigrants and non- English speakers. She helped draft requirements that courts provide qualified interpreters for parties and witnesses.…
