Case files from the late Hon. Michael S. Kanne donated to the Jerome Hall Law Library

The case files of the late Judge Michael S. Kanne have been donated to the Indiana University Maurer School of Law’s Jerome Hall Law Library.

Kanne, a 1968 graduate of the Law School, served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1987 up until his death in June 2022. Prior to his elevation to the Seventh Circuit, Judge Kanne served on the bench of the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Indiana.

Judge Kanne’s files span the entirety of his service on the Seventh Circuit, and contain papers regarding opinions, concurrences, and dissents authored and joined by the judge.

Jerome Hall Law Library Director Susan deMaine said the earliest of Kanne’s files will be available to researchers as soon as they are processed by librarians, while the remaining files will be made available on June 16, 2047, exactly 25 years after Judge Kanne’s passing.

The files have been graciously donated by Kanne’s widow, Judith.

“We are grateful to the Kanne family for their donation of Judge Kanne’s files to the Law Library,” deMaine said. “Judge Kanne was a well-liked and respected jurist with a five-decade legacy in the legal profession, and we’re proud to be the home of his extensive collection of documents.”

Judge Kanne was a devoted alumnus of the Law School, serving on its Board of Visitors and as a former president of its Alumni Association.

“He was a devoted husband and father, a respected judge, a proud Hoosier and a patriotic public servant,” Seventh Circuit Chief Judge Diane Sykes said in a statement at the time of Judge Kanne’s death. “He leaves tremendous legal and human legacies and will be greatly missed.”

The Law Library’s manuscript collection also holds the papers of two other Seventh Circuit judges: Judge David Hamilton and the late Judge Wilbur Pell. Judge Hamilton’s papers remain sealed at this time as he is actively serving on the bench. Judge Pell’s papers are open to researchers.