HODGE, Steven

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HODGE, Steven. (Dubuque, IA--University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Dec. 12, 2020). Taking his undergraduate and law school work at the University of Iowa, Hodge was one of the first attorneys to join the public defenders' office in Dubuque. He rose to become the chief public defender for the Dubuque office. (1)

During his career he found several changes in the legal system to be troubling. A turn toward more “draconian” penalties for criminal offenses where discretion is taken away from judges, he believed were are not in the best interest of justice. He also believed if the system got bogged down to the point that both prosecution and the defense were so adversarial that they could not make arrangements to resolve matters short of trial. His ability to find humanity in his clients was considered a trait necessary to anyone in his field of work. (2)

                        If one person gets wrongly accused and convicted, by trickery or violation of 
                        the law, then we all suffer from it because it violates what our society and 
                        criminal justice system is supposed to be.
                                                                     Steve Hodge

Hodge was also involved in politics and local organizations and government. He served on the Dubuque Community School District of Board, served as president of the Dubuque County Bar Association, president of the Grand Opera House Board of Directors, and chairman of the Dubuque County Democratic Central Committee. He was elected to the Dubuque County Democrats Hall of Fame in 2018. (3)

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Source:

1. Yager, Alicia, "A Life on the Defense: Longtime Dubuque Attorney Retires," Telegraph Herald, December 18, 2017 Online: https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_a7bfb715-07c7-5559-b43f-f46630108188.html

2. Ibid.

3. Hogstrom, Steve, "Steve Hodge Remembered as 'Caring and Charismatic,'" Telegraph Herald, December 15, 2020, p. 1A