John W. Darrah

John Walter Darrah (December 11, 1938 – March 23, 2017) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Education and career

Darrah was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Loyola University Chicago in 1965 and a Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1969. From 1969 to 1971, he worked as an attorney advisor for the Federal Trade Commission.

He served as a deputy public defender in DuPage County from 1971 to 1973, while also working in private practice. In 1972, he began teaching as an adjunct professor at Northern Illinois University College of Law. a continuing legal education program sponsored by the DuPage County Bar Association since around 1995. One of its sessions was held just days before his death in 2017.

Among his most well-known cases, he presided over a civil case that led to George Lucas, creator of Star Wars, to abandon plans for to build a Chicago museum. He continued to teach as an adjunct professor at The John Marshall Law School, teaching evidence and trial advocacy. He assumed senior status on March 1, 2017, serving in that status until his death on March 23, 2017, at his residence in Lisle, Illinois.