THE FOLLOWING IS A FIFTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT OF ILLINOIS RELEASE
In conjunction with the February celebration of the life and legacy of Abraham Lincoln, Judge Charles Mockbee IV was among the many Illinois judges to present a program to grade school students based on the popular children’s book by Martha Brenner, Abe Lincoln’s Hat.
Judge Mockbee delivered the program on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, 2025, to the fourth graders at Bismarck-Henning Elementary School in Bismarck, Illinois.
A project of the Illinois Judges Association, the reading program is aimed at children in grades K-4 to encourage the appreciation, value and enjoyment of reading. Judges dressed in their black robes make classroom appearances and read the book and discuss its intersection with history and the law. The book is then donated to the school.
“It was an honor to get to speak to the students,” said Judge Mockbee, an Associate Judge of the Fifth Judicial Circuit serving in the Rita B. Garman Vermilion County Courthouse in Danville. “It’s my hope that today will inspire young students to appreciate the value of books as they learn a little about history and our system of justice directly from a sitting judge.”
Abe Lincoln’s Hat, an illustrated account of the adventures of our nation’s 16th President, reveals the secrets he stored in his tall, black hat. The book portrays Lincoln as an absent-minded frontier lawyer who nudged his memory by sticking letters, court notes, contracts, and even his checkbook inside his trademark top hat.
The Illinois Judges Association is a membership organization of 1,250 active and retired judges whose purpose is to foster public confidence in the independence of the judiciary, provide services and education to its members, and information about court operations to the public. Funding for the books was made possible by a grant from the Illinois Judges Foundation.
