[2] He was a law clerk in the Court of Claims Section of the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. in 1958.

[2] He was appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County for an interim position on September 16, 1971, and on November 4, 1974, was elected to a full term.

The cases Aspen handled as an assistant corporation counsel for the City of Chicago included Shakman v. Democratic Organization of Cook County, No.

69-cv-2145 (N.D. Ill.), a case that Aspen handled at its outset until he left the City shortly thereafter to enter into private practice.

These actions allegedly excluded ordinary citizens without political connections from working for the City or County.

Subjects have included judicial management, continuing legal education, and complex litigation.

[2] The ACLU-initiated 1966 class action lawsuit Dorothy Gautreaux v. Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) alleged that the CHA engaged in racial discrimination in public housing policy, as prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

[4] The lawsuit alleged that the CHA built public housing solely in areas with high concentrations of poor minorities, in violation of the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidelines and the Civil Rights Act.

Under the settlement agreement, the CHA is obliged to, among other things, develop housing for low-income families in mixed-income communities.

Instead of full prison time, Aspen periodically released Lira so he could continue his training on the condition that he stay out of trouble and, when incarcerated, teach other inmates recreational boxing.

The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization or PATCO was a United States trade union that operated from 1968 until its decertification in 1981 following an illegal strike that was broken by the Reagan Administration.

Aspen presided over the key labor dispute where the government moved to restrain picketing activities of striking air traffic controllers.

Fred Roti was a Chicago alderman from 1968-1991 who was indicted in 1990 for RICO conspiracy, bribery and extortion for fixing criminal cases in the Circuit Court of Cook County, including murder cases involving organized crime members or associates.

On January 15, 1993, Roti was convicted on 11 counts, including two out of three "fixing" charges: taking $10,000 for influencing a civil court case and $7,500 to support a routine zoning change.

In U.S. v. John Laurie (N.D. Ill. 1984), Aspen presided over an Operation Greylord case against a former state court judge.

In that case, the Scott Turow, author, was the AUSA and former US Attorney Tony Valukas defended Laurie.

This Committee promulgated civility standards that were subsequently adopted by the Seventh Circuit, and by courts and bar associations nationwide.

[3] Aspen has served on the Public Relations, Corrections, Fair Trial/Free Press and Criminal Law Committees.

He is also a past president of the Northwestern University School of Law American Inns of Court Chapter.