Thomas R. Fitzgerald (judge)

Thomas Robert Fitzgerald (July 10, 1941 – November 1, 2015) was a chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. He became the first Illinois chief justice to preside over the impeachment trial of a sitting governor when he presided over the impeachment trial of Governor Rod Blagojevich.

For other people named Thomas Fitzgerald, see Thomas Fitzgerald (disambiguation).
Thomas R. Fitzgerald
Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
In office
September 2008 – October 2010
Succeeded byMary Jane Theis
Member of the Supreme Court of Illinois
In office
2000–2008
Personal details
Born(1941-07-10)July 10, 1941
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 1, 2015(2015-11-01) (aged 74)
La Grange, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic[1]
Alma materLoyola University Chicago
The John Marshall Law School (Bachelor of Laws in 1968 and Juris Doctor in 1970)

Early life and career

Born in Chicago on July 10, 1941,[2] Fitzgerald graduated from Leo Catholic High School in 1959.[3] He attended Loyola University Chicago before enlisting in the United States Navy.[4] Following his tour of duty in the Navy, he graduated with honors from The John Marshall Law School,[5] where he was a founder of the school's current law review and served as its associate editor.[6]

The son of a circuit court judge, Fitzgerald began his own career in the law as a prosecutor in the Cook County, Illinois State's Attorney's Office. When first elected to the bench in 1976, he was the youngest Cook County judge.[7] He served as a trial judge in the Criminal Court from 1976 to 1987, when he was assigned Supervising Judge of Traffic Court. In 1989, he returned to the Criminal Division as Presiding judge. He was also appointed to serve as presiding judge of Illinois's first statewide Grand Jury.[7] He was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois for the First District in 2000.

As a law professor, Fitzgerald taught at The John Marshall Law School and Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he was assistant coordinator of the trial advocacy program from 1986 to 1996. He also has taught at the Einstein Institute for Science, Health and the Courts.[6]

Fitzgerald served as president of the Illinois Judges' Association, chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Special Committee on Capital Cases, member of the Governor's Task Force on Crime and Corrections, chairman of several committees of the Illinois Judicial Conference, member of the Chicago Bar Association's Board of Managers and past chairman of the Chicago Bar Association's committees on constitutional law and long-range planning.

Chief Justice

He was elected Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court on May 19, 2008, with his term effective September 6, 2008.[8]

On January 26, 2009, he became the first Illinois chief justice to preside over the impeachment trial of a sitting governor, as he opened proceedings in the impeachment trial of Governor Rod Blagojevich.[9][10]

Retirement and death

Fitzgerald retired in October, 2010.[11] He announced his retirement on September 13, 2010, citing a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease.[12] Fitzgerald died on November 1, 2015 at his home from the disease at the age of 74.[13]

Awards and honors

Fitzgerald has been awarded the Outstanding Judicial Performance Award by the Chicago Crime Commission and honored as Celtic Man of the Year by the Celtic Legal Society.[14] He received the Herman Kogan Media Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism. The Lawyers' Assistance Program honored him in 2000 with the Hon. John Powers Crowley Award. He is the 2001 recipient of the John Marshall Law School Freedom Award. In 2003, Fitzgerald was awarded the Joel Flaum Award by the Chicago Inn of Court and the Chicago-Kent College of Law Professional Achievement Award. In 2005, Fitzgerald was named Catholic Lawyer of the Year by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago.[14] In 2008, he was awarded the John Paul Stevens Award by the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Foundation.[15] He is a member of the Leo High School Hall of Fame.

Fitzgerald was named Chicago Lawyer's 2010 Person of the Year.[4]

References
  1. "Election Vote Totals Results". www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. The American Bench. 2009. ISBN 9780931398582.
  3. "Leo Men in the News". Leo High School. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  4. "Chicago Lawyer's 2010 Person of the Year". Chicago Lawyer. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  5. "Board of Trustees". The John Marshall Law School. Retrieved December 26, 2013. Archived 2013-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Fitzgerald to assume role as Chief Justice Sept. 8". Madison Record. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  7. "Chief Justice Fitzgerald Announces an End to Long and Distinguished Career" (PDF). isba.org. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  8. "Justic Thomas R. Fitzgerald Elected as Next Supreme Court Chief Justice" (PDF). State of Illinois. Retrieved December 26, 2013. Archived 2016-03-07 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "A supreme justiceSecretary". Chicago Tribune News. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  10. "Justice Lauds Ill. Senate Impeachment Role". Elmhurst College. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  11. "Mary Jane Theis, Supreme Court JusticeFirst District". Illinois Courts. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  12. Long, Ray (September 13, 2010). "Illinois Supreme Court chief justice to retire". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
  13. "Former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald dead at 74".
  14. "Fitzgerald will be next chief justice". Illinois State Bard Association. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  15. "Recipients of the Justice John Paul Stevens Award". The Chicago Bar Foundation. Retrieved February 9, 2022.


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