Below is an obituary and reflection on the life of John Judge. We would like you to share your recollections and reflections on John in the comments section.
Washington, DC — John Patrick Judge passed at the age of 66, just as he had lived – with courage in the midst of pain. An internationally acclaimed researcher, writer and speaker, as well as a lifelong anti-militarist anti-racist activist, and community organizer, Judge died on April 15 due to complications from a stroke suffered in early March.
Judge’s primary areas of research were the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as totally unique research which he conducted on-the-ground about the massacre in Jonestown, Guyana. He is a co-founder of the Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA), and organized COPA’s annual conference in Dallas. The 2013 COPA conference drew more than 300 researchers and activists to Dallas on the 50th anniversary of John Kennedy’s death. Amidst the national furor when the feature film “JFK” came out in 1992, Judge was one of the key public proponents behind the creation of the Assassination Records Review Board. One of his last efforts was to press for release of some of the thousands of Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination records still kept classified by the CIA and the FBI.
As co-founder of 9/11 Citizens Watch, Judge also did investigative research on the background and details of the attacks of September 11, 2001. He worked with family members of the victims to push for a federal investigation and closely monitored the work of the 9/11 Commission.
Judge was also a co-founder of CHOICES, an organization engaged since 1985 in countering military recruitment in DC area high schools and educating young people about their options with regard to the military. Beginning with the war in Viet Nam, Judge was a life-long anti-war activist and supporter of active-duty soldiers and veterans.
From 2005 to 2007, Judge served as Special Projects Assistant to Representative Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. One of his many undertakings in Congress was to advocate on behalf of active-duty soldiers who received harsh sentences for declaring themselves conscientious objectors and others who claimed to have been tortured in military brigs. He helped write the Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush which Representative McKinney introduced in December 2006, before leaving office.
At the time of his death, John Judge was working on creation of a Hidden History Museum and Research Center in Washington, DC, to educate a new generation about covert operations, and to support the work of investigative journalists and researchers looking into the National Security State and the rise of secrecy, government plans for extra-Constitutional jurisdiction during emergencies, and threats to civil liberties and international relations. Some of his writings can be found at judgeforyourself.org.
Acclaimed nationally and internationally for his vast store of historical knowledge, Judge wrote: “Under the evil genius of Allen Dulles, whose espionage attacks on the Soviet Union date back to the 1920’s, $200 million in Rockefeller and Mellon funds was directed into the hands of Hitler’s spymaster Reinhard Gehlen and his 350 Nazi spies, who formed and founded our Central Intelligence Agency in 1947.”
An avid public speaker, Judge never spoke about himself but rather, humbly retained a tireless devotion to the search for truth beyond the official government or mainstream media record. Until his final days, Judge was a seeker of truth and justice of the first order. He is irreplaceable in the annals of serious research and documentation.
John Judge is survived by his long-time companion and life partner, Marilyn Tenenoff and thousands of friends and admirers across the country and around the world. A celebration of his life will be held in late May. In lieu of flowers, tax-deductible donations can be made to support the preservation of Judge’s books and archives in a new Museum of Hidden History, P.O. Box 772, Washington, DC, 20044.
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I personally find it meaningful that John’s soul left his body on the first day of Passover, a festival that commemorates and celebrates liberation from bondage. It is so fitting because John’s life on Earth was completely dedicated to fighting for freedom for everyone.
John’s passing is indeed a great loss. I was honored to have John participate in two JFK assassination seminars which we sponsored in Youngstown, Ohio, the latest being this past December of 2013. He braved rotten snowy weather that weekend to drive to Youngstown to be with us. I enjoyed working with him and I appreciated his extensive knowledge of the JFK case. We are fortunate that we will soon have a complete dvd of that seminar so we will have his participation on permanent record for all.
He will be missed.
When I think of John Judge I think of a person who had the able to convey his extreme knowledge to others with clarity. I loved listening to him speak because I knew when I was listening to him I was learning something important. I thank him for that.
John was not afraid or intimidated by power and his organizing and speaking set an example that empowered me. I thank him for that too because not fearing power, even while knowing it can crush you at will, is a truly liberating experience. John taught me that even the powerful fear of “our” power which is always just on the verge of organizing into an effective democratic force.
A part of me hurt for the American people as I listened to John speak on the street outside Dealey Plaza and I had the thought that here was the most articulate and relevant speaker for the occasion and he was marginalized and hidden from most of the world’s media while the official speakers for the mayor’s event, including a Catholic priest, provided cover for the murderers that subverted our Constitution. It really made me think about how the world is organized. I can only hope that the videographer recording his talk makes it available to the rest of the world on YouTube.
John showed his ability to use common sense to make the improbable certain when he pointed out at the conference that “if they have a telescope that can see to the edge of the universe, they can turn it around and point it at you”. Of course! That both sobered me and cracked me up at the same time.
There were several things I planned to talk to John about such as creating a website for the next conference and improving the 10 Points of Agreement on Political Assassinations. His unexpected death left me off balance and deeply saddened for myself and for the world. I’m grateful to have had him in my life.
Bob Korbus
GrassyKnoll.US
I met John Judge only once, just before my appearance at the 20th anniversary of COPA. I was so impressed with his kindness and generosity in allowing me to speak. Amongst the august group of presenters I did not feel that I was a major figure at all. Despite this, John greeted me warmly, thanked me for coming and made me feel completely at home. I definitely felt that he respected my work.
I was nervous about meeting him. I had heard that he had a hard edge about him. This was completely untrue. It might be that government officials thought that John Judge was a tough customer. John presents documents or embarrassing facts and they squirm. From a government perspective, yes, John boldly spoke truth to power – a tough opponent. I can say that in my presence, and in the presence of the other researchers, he was most kind and gracious.
John Judge was COPA. I will always cherish the memory of my appearance at the 20th anniversary. John lives vividly when I reminisce about that event.