THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

       PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES SOPHIA H. HALL AS A MEMBER OF THE 
           BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE STATE JUSTICE INSTITUTE

     The President today announced his intent to nominate Judge Sophia

H. Hall to reappointment to the Board of Directors of the State Justice Institute.

Judge Sophia Hall, of Chicago, Illinois, was elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, in 1980. In 1993, she became the first woman to be named a Presiding Judge. She currently serves as the Administrative Presiding Judge of the Resource Section of the Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Department, to which she was appointed in 1995. In addition, since January, 1997, Judge Hall has been assigned to the Law Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. She is a past president of the National Association of Women Judges and of the Illinois Judges Association, and has held a number of positions in the American Bar Association.

Judge Hall received her B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin and her J.D. from Northwestern University.

The State Justice Institute was established to award grants to improve the quality of justice in the State courts, to facilitate better coordination and information sharing between State and Federal courts, and to foster innovative, efficient solutions to common problems faced by all courts. It is a private, non-profit organization.

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