Professor Ann M. Lousin officially accepted her 11th consecutive award from the Illinois State Historical Society at the ISHS’s annual awards luncheon on Saturday, April 9. The award recognizes her continued contributions to the analysis of Illinois public issues in her “Law and Public Issues” column for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
In accepting her 2022 Certificate of Excellence Award for Ongoing Periodicals, Lousin surmised this year’s prize was principally earned for one of her three submissions which highlighted Kitihawa, the Potawatomi wife of Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, and praised the ISHS for endeavoring to recognize little-known Illinoisans, such as Kitihawa. In past years, her award-winning columns have addressed topics including the hurdles facing Illinois’s statehood, Illinois constitutional amendments, court redistricting efforts and the Fort Dearborn Massacre.
“Ann Lousin is one of Illinois’ treasures, bringing a wealth of experience, perspective, and knowledge to every subject she throws her spotlight on,” said ISHS Executive Director William Furry. “[Her] model editorials are excellent entres for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of Illinois governance, not just from a historical perspective, but with an eye on how policies of the past will shape—and sometimes bend—the future of the Prairie State.”
A stalwart commenter on Illinois public issues, Lousin has served on several nonprofit boards and governmental commissions, including a term as Chairman of the Illinois State Civil Service Commission and as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Armenian Bar Association from 1995 to 1998. She also lectures and consults on the Illinois Constitution, general public law issues and commercial law in the U.S. and abroad.
In 2018, Lousin was presented a proclamation of appreciation for “service to the citizens of Illinois” by John J. Cullerton, President of the Illinois State Senate. In 2016, the Armenian Bar Association named its inaugural legal scholar award, “The Ann M. Lousin Scholar of Law Award,” in her honor. Lousin served as the law school’s 2013-2014 Edward T. & Noble W. Lee Chair in Constitutional Law. She was elected a member of the American Bar Foundation in 2010 and a member of the American Law Institute in 2009.
From 1969-1970, Lousin served as a research assistant at the Sixth Illinois Constitutional Convention and served as Parliamentarian of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1973-1975. A member of the law school’s faculty since 1975, she primarily teaches Illinois Constitutional Law, Sales Transactions and Contracts.
Lousin earned her bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College and her law degree from The University of Chicago. Between college and law school, she studied political science at the University of Heidelberg in Germany.