U.S. District Judge Jeffrey I. Cummings of the Northern District of Illinois understands that most people involved in a legal dispute invest their emotions as well as their time and resources in the case.That’s why he placed so much emphasis on settlement conferences in his previous position as a magistrate judge, Cummings said.“The case is about reliving the past,” he would tell litigants. “And as long as you’re dealing with that case, you’re not going to move beyond the past.”He …