It is with great sadness that we announce that John Judge, COPA director, passed away yesterday in Washington D.C.
More details will follow soon, but John had been recovering from a stroke he suffered a number of weeks back.
John was a good friend and a tireless advocate for justice in all he did. He will be terribly missed.
We will keep you informed of memorial services when we know more.
Thank you.
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I am desperately sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you, Marilyn, and all those closer to John than I was, although one never felt anything other than part of his closest circle, such was his friendship, solidarity and integrity. This very day I had chosen a card to send him to speed him in his recovery.
Though thousands of miles away, I am with you in spirit. As he will be, always, with all of us. His struggle for truth, accountability and justice lives on in us all, and those we in turn bring into the fight.
Yes I was sending cards today whew what a horrible terrible blow to us all I only knew a few years but loved undeniable truth/fairness and was hoping to become lucky enough to be a great friend… so sorry we are in loving support Marilyn cal if any small thing I can do 7723216177 on west coast though
I wear your shirt every chance get why i bought five and people (some) thank you for the truth well thank me and I say to thank you and I tell them of you
It was an honor to have met him this passed November on the 50th anniversary. John and I may have had our disagreements through emails, but he was always well respected. Thanks for the memories John, although they were short, some memories are better than none, now… You can visit with JFK, and still conduct your moment of silence in the Havens with the Angles surrounding you, peace be with you John.
*Angels, sorry about the typo.
Very sorry to hear this- John was a very good man.
a brilliant man. I only spoke to him at any length once but his work was unique and invaluable.
Like everyone, I am in deep shock over this awful, tragic news.
John was such a powerful advocate for the truth, it is hard to imagine his awesome presence missing from the research community.
God bless you, John, and may you rest in everlasting peace.
What a loss. John’s closing speech @ COPA this year was one for the ages.
John will be dearly missed by the JFK Research Community. May the Peace and Blessings Our Creator be with him and his beloved family now and forever more.
Let it be so.
Oh NO !! I can think of no more passionate and powerful speaker for this cause and I am so sorry. We need men like him ! He was a powerful motivator !
One of the most reliable and trustworthy reporters of the truth. You will be missed.
John passed as he lived – with courage in the midst of pain following the stroke he suffered a month ago that disabled his right hand, arm and leg and took down his ability to speak, he fought mightily to slowly recover through physical, occupational and speech therapy. He was visited at the hospital every day by dozens of friends and supporters over this entire month – most especially by his devoted friend and partner, Marilyn Tenenoff. He was also deluged with moving letters and cards from near and far, as well as significant contributions of financial support.
Despite his inability to speak beyond a handful of a few words, he vigorously retained his memory and his raucous laugh. On Tax Day, given his lifelong opposition to war and government violence aas well as military recruitment, with Marilyn at his side at a hospital table, he was even able to make her know data she needed to include with his tax filing.
Acclaimed nationally and internationally for his vast store of historical knowledge and personal research, John never spoke about himself but rather retained a dogged devotion to the search for truth beyond the official government or media record. He is irreplaceable in the annals of serious research and documentation.
Rest in peace, John. You sought the truth…and the truth will set us free.
I am sorry to hear about John’s passing. He was a truth teller. I have never witnessed someone with such knowledge and the courage to inform us to the best of his ability.
We owe it to John to do our best to take back this country. Godspeed John and I hope you have fun speaking with great men they took from us.
So sorry to hear this you will not be forgotten rest in peace you are in gods hands now
John will be long remembered by many of us for his passion, his intelligence, and the twinkle in his eye. He was a great storyteller and orator as well as someone with an encyclopedic memory and ability to make deep connections.
Every time I saw him I re-heard one of his favorite stories and then a couple of new ones. Among the well-known stories he told about his mother the Vietnam War draft estimator, his interactions with some Dallas witnesses and police, talks with SAC pilots about their missing codebooks, and others, I remember the littler but fascinating stories too. Like the time he told me that Dulles Airport had an exhibit of U-2 photographs from the Cuban Missile Crisis and he noticed the blown-up photos had tiny credits on them, crediting – you guessed it – Jagger Chiles Stovall, where one LHO was employed at the time.
He had a rare gift to weave these stories, large and small, into a compelling narrative about the need for Americans to grasp their hidden history and own it. I never dreamt when I fell down the rabbit hole called the Kennedy assassination that I would meet some of the incredible people I’ve met, including John.
He will be sorely missed by many.
This is a tragic loss. Leadership is a gift and a privilege, but with it must also come courage, which John Judge exhibited in abundance. We have lost a champion for the truth and a man among men.
This is another sad, terribly sad loss for all Americans and the pursuit for truth and justice in the United States. In two days we’ve lost Mike Ruppert and now, John Judge. These two brilliant minds and dedicated researchers will inspire forever, those equally dedicated to the same principles which burned so brightly in the souls and hearts of Mike and John; . . . “and the glow from that fire will truly light the world.”
so absolutely sadly true now than we’ve lost him, so truly irreplaceable
a mans man of hu(e)manity as Muhammad Ali unwilling at any price to forgo truths justice… footprints we’ll never fill only hope in some diminished way to carry on in the direction of
Oh so sorry for our loss. As a visitor to COPA Dallas from Australia in 2007 John made me and other newcomers so welcome and included one wanted to return and be part of his warm circle again and again. May his tradition and example continue. Give us strength to continue….
I am terribly shocked and saddened by the news. I was a friend of John’s in college (University of Dayton, early 1970s), and he taught me so much–he got me started examining the JFK, MLK, and RFK assassinations, among other things. He brought Mae Brussell in to speak, so I got to meet her. I lost touch with John after I moved from Ohio to Massachusetts in 1976, but then we reconnected on the Internet a couple of decades later. I never did make it to Dallas for the annual meeting, but I kept in touch with him occasionally via e-mail. Although we had some points of disagreement, I always valued his commitment and his ability to see beneath the surface of things. He was only 67–that is just too damn young to die!!!! I love the comments posted here about John being in heaven with JFK and the angels–he was an atheist, you know! Well, I hope he’s been proven wrong in that regard! He and Mae should be having some good chats now.
John and I literally met on the radio and became Friends. And there became a tradition over the 3-plus decades where John would would tell me something he just discovered and I would say, “Oh John that can’t be so.”
And when it all shook out, it WAS so – every time.
John sought to teach people how to look at things from new angles so everyone could see what was really going on, to spot and ignore the noise of the mal-conceived or preconceived notions. To go beyond and get the genuine facts and find the Truth, especially where people’s or a nation’s health, safety and freedom were at stake.
John Judge was a Freedom Fighter, an American patriot.
I am so shocked and saddened that we have lost this truly wonderful man. John dedicated his life to truth and justice and is gone way too soon.
Rest well with the angels old friend. You will be greatly missed.
Dawn Meredith
John Judge told many people that he thought Gen. Curtis LeMay was responsible for the JFK assassination. LeMay gave an oral history for the LBJ Library in which he called the Kennedys “cockroaches” and said he knew how the Kennedys were treating Lyndon Johnson in the fall of 1963 (i.e. destroying LBJ).
With the identification of Air Force general Edward Lansdale at Dealey Plaza by his peers Col. Fletcher Prouty and Gen. Victor “Brute” Krulak, I must agree with John Judge that Gen. Curtis LeMay played a big role in the JFK assassination.
IN ON IT!
I knew John more through his countering military recruiters in schools. He will be sorely missed. I think he saved hundreds, if not more than a thousand, of young lives by engaging in this work for decades. My thoughts are with you, Marilyn. He was a great man.
Thank you for your constant hard work and determination in finding justice. Rest in Peace, John. We will continue your fight for truth.
I’m sure there will ever be another man like John Judge. Maybe that could be said about most everyone but I’m sure it’s true about John. I never had a personal conversation with him but for those that know him or heard him speak we “knew” he was special. I’ll especially keep in mind those that went to college with him like Bill Kelly & Judith Antonelli. May John now know all the secrets of the universe and beyond.
My thoughts go out to his family he was a tireless advocate of justice and transparency
John, you will be dearly missed old friend! Over the years, every time I ran into John, he was energetically fighting the good fight. The last time we talked, he was all about organizing a museum in Washington DC focused on the history of political assassinations and US covert operations (providing a distinctly different take than the Spy Museum). May John forever be honored by all who knew him through both words and deeds. John Judge: ¡Presente!
A good and strong man. The type the National Security State is most afraid of. My honor to have known him.
I worked for JFK in his run for president, and therefore was devastated at his assassination. Like many many others I took the lies of the Warren Comm. as the truth for almost 30 years until I saw Oliver stone’s JFK. Shortly after I subscribed to John judge’s Copa
Newsletter. This brought me and my daughter Maureen to Washington DC twice and Dallas twice for the Copa conferences.
I learned so much from the excellent presenters that John provided. They reinforced my belief that “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty”
It is sosad that John has passed. I pray that out there omeone can take up the staff of truth that John carried so diligently.May John rest in peace and my condolences to his loved ones
We’re all the better for your effort(s)! Rest in Peace, brother.
David Healy
Marilyn, I am so glad he found a beloved companion in your these last years. John was my partner in 9/11 CitizensWatch, the watchdog group he and I created together after 9/11. We dogged the 9/11 Commission for it’s entire life, producing numerous reports and press conferences at the National Press Club and in New York City within the very same building that hosted the very first 9/11 Commission hearing, in a room that had a view of the Statue of Liberty.
Here is short testimony to our work together: In the beginning the Commissioners and the Executive Director opened their post-Commission hearing press conference to us and our questions. But as time passed and our questions raised more questions and our profile rose nationally and internationally via C-SPAN, the Commission became more and more restrictive and by the end would not call call on us if we happened to get a seat at one of their press briefings, which became harder and harder to do.
Here’s another: After our first big live and successful press press conference on C-SPAN the week of Richard Clark’s testimony before the 9/11 Commission, we were having coffee outside the National Press Club when a family friend of mine, who had watched us on C-SPAN called to say that she was sending us $100,000! There were other stories like that such was the quiet force of resolve and commitment to the truth we engendered in our partnership. Despite working together closely for over two years we weren’t extraordinary close but we were bonded together in our search for the truth and accountability, an oddball team of dogged watchers and truth hounds!
I hope a good home is found for his vast library which is an extraordinary treasure. He was very proud of it. I hope COPA and others can work together to find a place to set it up in his memory. If there is anything I can do to help please let me know.
RIP John and thank you for your friendship and being my partner those years.
Kyle F. Hence
Co-founder with John Judge of 9/11 CitizensWatch.
I am so sorry. I met John for the first time at the COPA conference in Dallas this past November. John obviously valued the truth above all and made many sacrifices to pursue it. I am glad I met him and I am so sad for this loss. My thoughts and prayers are with his close friends and I hope COPA carries on.
Michael Lane
Very Sad News for anyone that, knew John Judge & the work he did towards esposing “the Truth”. I was fortunate to attend the last, COPA conference in Dallas this past November. An Eloguent speaker, wicked sense of humor & a tireless leader. My thoughts are with John, Marilyn, their families & close friends during this difficult time. John accomplished so Much, in his short time here. My pleasure to, have known You. Rest in Peace…Carla Leonard
I worked with John on the Washington Peace Center Board some years ago and no one was more dedicated to progressive change and uncovering the government lies and conspiracies which are very real!!!!!
Men with John’s dedication and zeal are impossible to replace.
My deepest gratitude to all of you who have honored John with your words here. John was my partner, lover and friend. He had no other family. What all of you write gives me comfort in these empty days without him. I gave John my word. I will make every attempt to establish the Hidden History Library and Research Center in his honor. It will house his collection and the collections of other researchers, so that historians and scholars can study them. It will also provide a forum for speakers on Hidden History topics, such as authors of new books. And if we can manage it financially, it will launch a series of traveling exhibits on Hidden History subjects. We have the fire and the dedication. All we need is money. Anyone out there know a like-minded generous donor? I want so desperately to make this happen for John! More later when we have finalized plans for a Celebration of John Judge’s life. It will be in Washington, DC. We are working on the weekend of May 31-June 1. Thank you all again so much ~ Marilyn