09/03/2026
We are saddened to inform you of the passing of the Honorable James A. Geocaris on September 2, 2026.
Judge Geocaris was an original member of the Northwest Suburban Bar Association, joining at its inception in 1960. His remarkable life and career left an enduring mark on the legal community and the Northwest suburbs.
A native of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood and a graduate of the University of Chicago, Judge Geocaris played minor-league baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Brooklyn Dodgers, and Cleveland Indians from 1947 to 1950. When he realized a professional baseball career was not in his future, he enrolled at DePaul University College of Law. Following graduation, he served in the Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division.
After 10 years in private practice, Judge Geocaris was appointed a magistrate in 1966, then became an associate judge and, in 1976, presiding judge of the Third District, a position he held until his retirement in 1995.
Judge Geocaris was instrumental in bringing the Third Municipal District Courthouse to Rolling Meadows. He participated in the groundbreaking ceremony in 1986 at Euclid Avenue and Wilke Road, following years of advocacy by Judge Geocaris and NWSBA members for a courthouse to serve the Northwest suburbs. Their efforts came to fruition in 1989 with the opening of the Rolling Meadows courthouse, a $60 million facility with 21 courtrooms.
Before the Rolling Meadows courthouse opened, attorneys and their clients often traveled to Chicago’s Criminal Courts building at 26th Street and California Avenue to litigate matters, while judges and court personnel traveled throughout the district, holding court wherever space was available. Reflecting on those years, Judge Geocaris once said, “I worked so many years without a building.”
His contributions to the Third District were honored in 2019 when the street in front of the courthouse was named “Honorary Judge Geocaris Way.”
In 2022, the Northwest Suburban Bar Association honored Judge Geocaris with its Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his exemplary service to the legal community. He was one of only three recipients of this distinguished honor in the Association's history.
We were particularly fortunate to have Judge Geocaris with us at the Installation Dinner for President Frank Serio this past June.
It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to a remarkable man, judge, lawyer, friend, and colleague. His contributions to our profession and our community will long be remembered.
We extend our deepest condolences to Judge Geocaris’s family and all those who had the privilege of knowing him.
