U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is greeted by DuPage County Circuit Judge Robert J. Anderson (left), the first vice president of the Illinois Judges Association, and Illinois Appellate Justice Michael B. Hyman, the IJA president, Friday at a luncheon at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers. About 300 members and guests attended Holder’s speech, part of a three-day event that combined the Illinois State Bar Association midyear meeting with the IJA annual convention. For more photos from this event, view this gallery.»
U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is greeted by DuPage County Circuit Judge Robert J. Anderson (left), the first vice president of the Illinois Judges Association, and Illinois Appellate Justice Michael B. Hyman, the IJA president, Friday at a luncheon at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers. About 300 members and guests attended Holder’s speech, part of a three-day event that combined the Illinois State Bar Association midyear meeting with the IJA annual convention. For more photos from this event, view this gallery.»Ralph Greenslade

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called for better collaboration between the criminal justice community and the public during a Friday keynote address to judges, bar leaders and state officials as part of the Illinois Judges Association’s annual conference.

“Like of all of you, I’m especially mindful that today, we convene in a time of great consequence for all criminal justice leaders, both here in Illinois and throughout the nation,” Holder said.

Speaking to an audience gathered in a ballroom at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Holder was flanked onstage by several judges, Illinois Attorney General Lisa M. Madigan and Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton.

Incidents this year involving white police officers killing unarmed black men — namely in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City — have been tragic, he said, but they have also rallied millions of people “driven by grief and driven by anguish to make their voices heard.”

“These incidents have sparked deep reflection and widespread public demonstrations — but this is what we do as Americans,” he said. “Democracy is often times noisy; it is disruptive — and this is who we are as Americans.”

Holder said the demonstrations have brought long-simmering divides to the surface across the country, and they have prompted a necessary conversation about law enforcement’s relationship with the communities it serves.

“Make no mistake that, out of these heart-wrenching tragedies comes, I believe, a singular opportunity for our great country to confront difficult issues that have too often been ignored and too easily swept under the rug,” Holder said. “We must not squander this opportunity or neglect our responsibility to ensure that this needed conversation results in concrete action.”

Holder’s Chicago visit came as part of a national tour talking with local government and law enforcement officials.

In his current role since President Barack Obama took office in 2009, Holder said in September he will be stepping down from his post once a replacement is confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Loretta Lynch, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, has been tabbed by Obama to succeed Holder.

Helping deliver the promise of a fair justice system is not merely an essential part of many lawyers’ and judges’ careers, Holder said. It’s the very reason they chose the legal profession in the first place.

Among his goals to improve the federal criminal justice system, Holder cited his Smart on Crime Initiative, launched last year, that aims to reform criminal sentencing, find alternatives to imprisonment for non-violent offenders, improve offenders’ re-entry to society and invest in violence-prevention programs.

Holder said much of the innovation in criminal justice has occurred at the state level and has shown that policies can reduce recidivism while improving public safety at the same time.

He said he’s seen the system through many perspectives throughout his career as a prosecutor, a District of Columbia judge and as attorney general.

“I’ve learned that the most effective policies are almost invariably those that push discretion out into the field, to leaders like you and your counterparts at the federal level,” Holder said.

But he also said he understands the risks taken by law enforcement every day as well as their concerns for their own safety in conducting police work.

“It is for their sake as well that we must heal the breakdowns that we have seen by restoring trust and by rebuilding cooperation,” Holder said.

When people believe official police actions in their community are appropriate and warranted, they are more likely to cooperate — even if they disagree on the outcome of a situation, he said.

“Trust in the system and compliance with the law must begin not with the fear of arrest, or even the threat of incarceration, but with the respect for the courageous men and women who keep us safe,” he said.

Holder was given the IJA’s Founders Award following his remarks — a distinction the group has only awarded to six non-IJA members for their service and contributions to the legal community.

First District Appellate Justice Michael B. Hyman, the IJA president, noted Holder’s time as an associate judge in Washington, D.C., from 1988 to 1993, saying “he’s one of us.”

Before handing over the podium, Hyman gave an IJA lapel pin to Holder.

“I will not ask him for his dues,” Hyman said, joking.

“I was assured this won’t get me out of any parking tickets or speeding tickets,” Holder quipped back.

Hyman said outreach efforts by the various parts of the justice system to the public will help build mutual understanding.

“They’re not happening enough,” he said.

Part of the challenge comes from the complex and intricate puzzle that is the many offices and people of the legal system, he said.

“The public doesn’t focus on separation of powers,” he said. “To the public, we’re all the government.”

Hyman said the organization planned to hold a discussion on equality as part of its conference.

Following his appearance at the IJA event, Holder attended a closed-door meeting at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse with Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Fardon, Cook County State’s Attorney Anita M. Alvarez and others.