We are saddened to learn of the passing of Judge Michael S. Kanne '68. Judge Kanne served on our Board of Visitors and was a past president of the Law School Alumni Association. He was inducted into the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows in 1999. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Chief Judge Diane S. Sykes issued the following statement on behalf of the Court:
"With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Circuit Judge Michael S. Kanne, our esteemed colleague. Judge Kanne died yesterday at home with his wife, Judith Ann, at his side. He was 83.
Judge Kanne' s distinguished tenure in the federal judiciary spanned more than 40 years. In 1982 President Reagan appointed him to the district-court bench in the Northern District of Indiana. Five years later, in May 1987, the President elevated him to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Before his appointment to the federal bench, Judge Kanne served as a state trial judge in Indiana's 30th Judicial Circuit for nearly ten years.
He earned a bachelor's degree in 1962 from Indiana University and a law degree in 1968 from Indiana University's Maurer School of Law. Between college and law school, he served for three years as a lieutenant in the United States Air Force. During his tenure on the Seventh Circuit, Judge Kanne held important national positions in federal-court administration and governance-including, most notably, chair of the Judicial Conference Committee on Space and Facilities and the Committee on Judicial Security.
Judge Kanne's colleagues on the court join his wife, Judy, and their daughters, Anne and Kate, together with many friends-including scores of former law clerks-in mourning his passing. He was a devoted husband and father, a respected judge, a proud Hoosier, and a patriotic public servant. He leaves tremendous legal and human legacies and will be greatly missed."
Original source can be found here.
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