Leo Lion of the Illinois Supreme Court - Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald Retires in October

Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court Thomas Fitzgerald will retire. Chie Justice Fitzgerald is the most respected justice in Illinois - Supreme and otherwise.

A 1959 Leo High School graduate and Leo Hall of Fame Inductee, Thomas Fitzgerald is an exemplary Christian gentleman and first-rate legal scholar.

Fitzgerald was one of four Supreme Court justices on the Nov. 2 ballot seeking retention to 10-year terms. The others are Justice Robert R. Thomas, a suburban Republican; Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, a Quad Cities-area Democrat; and Justice Charles E. Freeman, a Chicago Democrat.

"I just think he's a man of integrity, wisdom and professionalism," said Thomas, a former chief justice. "I was blessed to have him as a colleague the last 10 years. I was doubly blessed to be able to call him a good friend."

Fitzgerald began his law career in the Cook County state's attorney's office. He was first elected to the bench in 1976 — at the time the youngest elected circuit judge in the county. He was elected to the Supreme Court in 2000. He became chief justice in 2008.

Even before he went to the high court, Illinois Supreme Court justices had made him co-chairman of a commission reviewing the death penalty in Illinois. Fitzgerald set out pioneering recommendations calling for defense lawyers to be well-experienced and for judges to be well-trained.

Fitzgerald also played a significant role in cleaning up the Cook County traffic court after the Operation Greylord scandal. For years, he was a fixture on the county bench, where he was known for running his courtrooms with a cool hand and civility.

The chief justice also won strong reviews for his role as the presiding officer in the Illinois Senate overseeing the trial of Blagojevich, who was ousted from the governor's office in January 2009 on a 59-0 vote.

Fitzgerald's resignation is effective Oct. 25. Theis will enter the position the next day, giving up her seat on the appellate court.

Ray Long

Illinois Chief Justice Tom Fitzgerald and Sen. Ed Maloney - Leo High School Heroes of Blago Battles

Here's 1964 Leo Grad State Senator Ed Maloney -who can still hit 3-pointers ( he nailed five in a row on his last visit to Leo) while wearing a suit and wing-tips.



Illinois Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald is a paragon of integrity - here he is with Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, whose Old Man is a great pal of Leo High School.

Illinois Chief Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald - Leo Hall of Fame; Leo Class of 1959

Thomas R. Fitzgerald is a native Chicagoan and attended Loyola University before enlisting in the United States Navy. After his tour of duty in the Navy, he graduated with honors from The John Marshall Law School, where he was one of the founders of the school’s current law review and served as the law review’s associate editor.

The son of a Circuit Court judge, Chief Justice Fitzgerald began his own career in the law as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. When first elected to the bench in 1976, he was, at that time, the youngest elected Circuit Judge in Cook County. He served as a trial judge in the Criminal Court form 1976 to 1987 when he was assigned Supervising Judge of Traffic Court. In 1989, he returned to the Criminal Division as Presiding Judge. He also was appointed to serve as presiding judge of Illinois’ first statewide grand jury.

In April 1999, he was appointed by the Supreme Court to be a member and chairperson of the court’s newly-formed Special Supreme Court Committee on Capital Cases to assess and improve the administration of justice in Illinois death penalty cases. The Committee, under Judge Fitzgerald’s leadership, drafted innovative rules which were approved by the Supreme Court to improve the quality of justice in the trial of capital cases.

Chief Justice Fitzgerald was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois for the First Judicial District in 2000.

His accomplishments on the Supreme Court include a recommendation to his fellow justices that the Court find a way to improve the delivery of free legal services to veterans in obtaining disability and educational benefits. The Court assigned the task to its Commission on Professionalism; and in September 2007, Justice Fitzgerald joined Director L. Tammy Duckworth of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, officials of The John Marshall Law School, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Commission in announcing a broad initiative to help Illinois veterans with free legal services. With the support of the Illinois State Bar Association, the initiative was expanded to include legal help for the families of Illinois service members scheduled for deployment.

Since becoming Chief Justice in September 2008, Justice Fitzgerald announced a new Special Committee on Illinois Evidence, composed of a blue-ribbon roster of judges, practitioners, law professors and state legislators whose aim is to codify existing evidentiary law so it is available in a single source.

Also as Chief, Justice Fitzgerald announced an expansive and broad series of initiatives to improve the judiciary and public confidence in the state’s courts. Those initiatives include mandatory participation for the more than 900 Illinois Circuit and Associate judges in a Judicial Performance Evaluation Program, improvement to the New Judge Mentoring Program and New Judge Seminar; and a Statement of Expectations that was issued to all Illinois judges in December.

Chief Justice Fitzgerald is the recipient of numbers awards and honors.

On September 11, 2008, he received the prestigious John Paul Stevens Award. The John Paul Stevens Award, given by the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Foundation, celebrates Illinois attorneys and judges who have demonstrated extraordinary integrity and service to the community throughout their careers.

Other awards and accolades Justice Fitzgerald has received include the Outstanding Judicial Performance Award by the Chicago Crime Commission; Celtic Man of the Year by the Celtic Legal Society; 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, Justice 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, Justice Fitzgerald was named Catholic Lawyer of the Year by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago. He is a member of the Leo High School Hall of Fame.

Justice Fitzgerald has 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.

Justice Fitzgerald has served as president of the Illinois Judges Association, was a 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.


Senator Ed Maloney (D-18th District) Leo Hall of Fame; Class of 1964

Illinois State Senator -Years served: 2003 - Present

Committee assignments: Sen. Comm. Whole; Higher Education (Chairperson); Labor (Vice-Chairperson); Approp I; Local Government.

Biography: Senator Ed. Maloney (D - Chicago)is an assistant principal and dean of faculty at Brother Rice High School in Chicago. He has also been a manager and professional development director for the Chicago Park District, and a teacher and school administrator. He served in the House for the last 4 months of the 87th General Assembly (1992-93). He has a bachelor's degree in political science from Lewis University, and a master's degree in education from Chicago State University.

When Blago did his Swan Song before the Senate and attempted to coax crocidile tears from some Ed Maloney responded with Leo Language ( Southtown Star item):

Blagojevich's address blended denial of wrongdoing, naked appeals for sympathy, circuitous asides, sudden biographical detours and out-of-left-field analogies - all delivered with remarkable conviction and fluidity.

"I stand before you in a very unique and lonely place," he said. He gave not an inch, admitting only to caring too much and "maybe pushing and prodding too hard."

Sen. Ed Maloney (D-Chicago) rolled his eyes at Blagojevich's attempt to tug at listeners' heartstrings with his tale of his immigrant parents' striving.

"My grandfather came over from Ireland at the age of 13, illiterate," the South Sider said. "Couldn't write, never did. This is not something that's unique to Rod Blagojevich."

Facta Non Verba! Go, Lions!

Click my post title for more Real Deal Leo Heroes!

Chief Justice of the llinois Supreme Court Thomas Fitzgerald - Leo Class of 1959! Fact Non Verba, Chief Justice

Congratulations to Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald of the Illinois Supreme Court!

Chief Justice Fitzgerald is a Class of 1959 Alumnus of Leo High School and a member of the Leo High School Hall of Fame.

Here's more from the Illinois Supreme Court Website:

Thomas R. Fitzgerald attended Loyola University before enlisting in the United States Navy. Following his tour of duty in the Navy, he graduated with honors from The John Marshall Law School, where he was a founder of the school’s current law review and served as the law review’s associate editor.

The son of a circuit court judge, Justice Fitzgerald began his own career in the law as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. When first elected to the bench in 1976, he was the youngest Cook County Judge. 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’ first statewide Grand Jury. He was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois for the First District in 2000.

Justice 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. 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, Justice 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, Justice Fitzgerald was named Catholic Lawyer of the Year by the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago. He is a member of the Leo High School Hall of Fame.

As a law professor, Justice Fitzgerald has 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.

Justice Fitzgerald has 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.