Federal Judicial Service
On July 13, 1951, President Harry S. Truman nominated Perry to be a judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The United States Senate confirmed Perry's nomination on August 21, 1951.
During his tenure, Perry presided over a large number of high-profile trials, including an 18-month-long wrongful-death suit initiated by the survivors and family members of two members of the Black Panther Party who were killed during a 1969 raid on the group's headquarters. At the end of the trial, which at that time was the longest trial before a federal court jury in U.S. history, Perry dismissed all charges against law enforcement officials who had been sued for $47 million in a wrongful-death suit when jurors could not reach a verdict. The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit eventually overturned Perry and ordered a new trial, but an out-of-court settlement eventually was reached.
Perry took senior status on November 29, 1971.
Read more about this topic: Joseph Sam Perry
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