Letter to the Editor ...

To the Editor:

U.S. District Judge James Churchill was the very essence of what a federal judge should be: fair, firm, knowledgeable, and compassionate.

As an example of how good of a judge he was, in the Detroit School case he had what was a truly original thought.

He recommended to his colleagues as a replacement to Judge DeMascio when DeMascio recused himself from the case a non-statutory three-judge court. My colleagues had a concern that his replacement would have a tough road to follow in dealing with a pending motion to bring into the case the suburban school districts. Three judges could better absorb the public abuse likely to follow the decisional process in considering the motion. Three judges took over the case. As it so happened the motion was never pursued.

Avern Cohn
Retired U.S. District Court Judge
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