Ann Claire Williams (born August 16, 1949) is a United States Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Early life and education
Born in Detroit, Williams earned a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University in 1970. She earned a master's degree in guidance and counseling from the University of Michigan in 1972 while working as a music and third-grade teacher in inner-city Detroit. Williams then shifted gears and decided to pursue a career in the law instead, earning a law degree from the Notre Dame Law School in 1975.
Professional career
After law school, Williams clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Robert Arthur Sprecher from 1975 until 1976 and then served from 1976 until 1985 as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago. In 1979, Williams began serving as an adjunct professor and lecturer at Northwestern University School of Law and at the John Marshall Law School (Chicago).
Federal judicial service
Williams was a U.S. District Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois from 1985 until 1999. President Reagan had nominated her on March 13, 1985 to a newly created district court seat, and she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 3, 1985. Her confirmation made her the first-ever African-American female judge appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
On August 5, 1999, President Clinton nominated Williams to a vacancy on the Seventh Circuit that occurred because of the retirement of Judge Walter J. Cummings, Jr.. Williams was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote on November 10, 1999. Her Senate confirmation made Williams the first-ever African-American judge on the Seventh Circuit.
Political views
In an article in the Chicago Tribune on December 11, 1999, Williams declined to say whether she is a Republican or a Democrat, instead calling herself politically independent. "I've written on thousands of cases across the board, and I think it would be hard to type me," she said. "I don't think there is a type. I am not in Congress. We don't legislate in the courts."
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