macoupin county
This month’s selection, the Macoupin County Courthouse in Illinois.
In 1867 Macoupin County Illinois began to build what was believed to be the second largest courthouse and first fireproof one in the United States. Three years later, it was finished with massive cost overruns. Soon popularly known as “The Million Dollar Courthouse,” it cost $1.3 million to build in 1870 which in today’s dollars would be $31.9 million for a county of 32,726 people. Rumors abounded about graft and corruption once the public learned of the actual cost of the building. One of the four building committee members George H. Holiday left town without notice; others claimed they were innocent of any wrongdoing. Dennis Weiser, Illinois Courthouses: An Illustrated History at 93 (2009). It took citizens of Macoupin County 40 years to pay off the debt. The county population today is 44,000; the county seat, Carlinville, has 5500 people.
The architect of this courthouse was Elijah E. Myers, a renowned 19th century architect who intended the Macoupin courthouse be a precedent for his future state capitols, including those in Michigan, Texas, and Colorado. The architecture of the Macoupin Courthouse has been described as “eclectic Classical Revival.” It features cast iron window trim, doors and stairs and opulent Victorian-era interiors. The three-story courthouse reaches a height of 167 feet at the top of the dome. The outer walls are covered with Joliet limestone. The dome and the roof are covered with sheet metal.
The courthouse offers tours and is still visited by tourists, architects, and historians from around the world. It has an immaculate single courtroom on the second floor, the most notable features of which are the view of the dome, the massive courtroom itself and the judge’s chair. A visit is reminiscent of the Vatican. The long black and white checkered marble floor on the ground floor, which has chambers for the judges, offices for district attorneys and the clerk’s office, is over one hundred fifty years old.
In December a friend Joe Hartzler died in his home in Chicago at age 75. Joe was a fellow AUSA in Chicago and later a chief of appeals for the Springfield, Illinois US Attorney’s office. He went on to become the lead prosecutor of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing case. A superb trial lawyer, Joe’s powerful opening statement has been reprinted as a courtroom classic. In 1988 he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and began to use a motorized scooter in the early 1990s. During the 1997 trial of Timothy McVeigh, Joe rode his scooter to the Denver federal courthouse, repeatedly shunning press conferences and publicity. He strongly believed in delivering a case inside the courtroom and to the jury. I believe the photos of Joe arriving at court increased the public awareness of the need to provide building access to persons with disabilities.
After a year of working on the McVeigh case, Joe was homesick but in declining to return to Illinois said, “I know if I left (the team), everyone would see multiple sclerosis as the culprit. I knew it would cast an even darker shadow on those with M.S. I have tried to show people that multiple sclerosis is no cause for celebration but not cause for devastation. You should not quit your job and crawl into a cocoon.” He once wrote to Newsweek, “I do have multiple sclerosis, but I do not ‘suffer’ from it.” Classic Joe. He would never crawl into a cocoon and indeed later became a federal public defender and served as special counsel to an Illinois governor. He is survived by his wife Lisa, three sons and six grandchildren.
In visiting courthouses across America, I sense some have performed the minimum to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you know or learn of people questioning the need for quality access by lawyers, jurors, judges, and others to our courthouses, invite them to read the full December 27, 2025 New York Times obituary “Joseph Hartzler Dies at 75; Led Prosecution of Oklahoma City Bomber.”
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If you enjoy or know someone who enjoys legal fiction, PRIVILEGED – A LEGAL THRILLER is an acclaimed great read. In defending tech billionaire J.B. Luttekin, Colt Symonds navigates the treacherous waters of the criminal justice system. The two face a politically ambitious US Attorney in a case charging bid rigging, foreign bribery, and obstruction of justice. You will travel an exhilarating journey that includes Silicon Valley, London, Gibraltar, Chicago and Modesto. Despite a damning FBI tape recording of Luttekin and a star government witness at Stanford Hospital, the cross examination of the prosecution's immunized witnesses and an economist, exposes the prosecution's weaknesses. The government also underestimates cagey 80-year-old Axle Stenmire who represents Luttekin's co-defendant and former lover Tina Lambert. Symonds and his team uncover evidence that upends the case and turns a searchlight on persons whose conduct will shock readers.
PRIVILEGED Reviews:
Scott Lassar, Former US Attorney, Chicago: “EXCELLENT.”
Douglas R. Young, Past President of the American College of Trial Lawyers, San Francisco: “A MUST READ. This novel is written by an experienced trial lawyer who knows how courtrooms actually work and how the law and human nature intersect in real life. Tarun’s characters are realistic, and the plot is engaging. Once started, this book is hard to put down. A sequel is in order.”
Retired California Superior Court Judge of 25 years: “GREAT LEGAL THRILLER. A very exciting read, full of unexpected twists. Just when you think you've figured it out, it takes another surprising turn. Author Tarun knows the legal system, having been both an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and a criminal defense lawyer. It's clear he also knows Chicago and San Francisco because he puts you in the middle of each. I've read a lot of courtroom novels, and this one really stands out. WHAT A FIND!”
Jim Voyles, Legendary Indiana criminal defense attorney: “FIVE STARS!!! One of the finest legal thriller books I have read in a long time! Accurate and extremely well written.”
Vincent J. Connelly, Former Chief of Special Prosecutions and Criminal Divisions, U.S. Attorney's Office, Chicago: "Already an award-winning author of a criminal law treatise, Tarun now provides a first-rate legal thriller PRIVILEGED. An accused Silicon Valley billionaire must rely on his underdog defense attorney and his own wits to survive a harrowing journey through the criminal justice system. Tarun's host of memorably corrupt and deadly characters maintains the suspense through the final chapter."
Manny Alas, Former Head of PWC Global Anti-Corruption Practice, New York: AWESOMELY COMPELLING AND ENTERTAINING READ: “A compelling vortex of legal intricacies engages both sides of the narrative, drawing the reader in from the start. Bob, you are a master in depicting the intense high stakes investigations where law, finance, corporate governance, international business, and ethics intersect. BRAVO! Thanks for an engrossing and entertaining read.”
Stephanie Thompson, “PLOT TWIST COMING…I enjoyed reading this book! What a treat! Extremely entertaining. This book would make an amazing movie!!!!!”
Charles B. Sklarsky, Former Cook County ASA and Chief of the Criminal Receiving and Appellate Division, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chicago: “A NITTY GRITTY HIGH LEVEL CRIME STORY. Bob Tarun has spun an intricate story of white-collar crime at its most complex level featuring a corrupt lead prosecutor and FBI agent, colorful sometimes humorous defense lawyers and a plot with twists and turns that will keep you guessing and turning pages. Tarun, using his many years of experience as a federal prosecutor and white-collar defense attorney, artfully shows the reader the inside workings of the criminal justice system with all its warts. I am looking forward to the sequel.”
Tom Dwyer, Top Criminal Defense Attorney, Boston: “WOW. WHAT A WEEKEND READ!!! PRIVILEGED, in a non-technical style, is an extraordinary tale of the many dilemmas facing a lawyer in a white-collar case. As a white-collar criminal defense lawyer for over 45 years, I highly recommend this read.”
All the best for the New Year,
Bob Tarun
Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers: Past Chair of Federal Criminal Procedure Committee and Regent; former Deputy Chief, Criminal Receiving and Appellate Division, and Executive Assistant US Attorney, N.D. IL.; Best Lawyers in America White-Collar Criminal Lawyer of the Year in San Francisco; first US criminal antitrust monitor in United States v. AUO, N.D. CA.; Lecturer-in-Law on White-Collar Criminal Law at University of Chicago Law School; Member, Society of Architectural Historians.
