Thomas Robert Fitzgerald (July 10, 1941 – November 1, 2015) was a chief justice of the

Illinois Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

. He became the first Illinois chief justice to preside over the impeachment trial of a sitting governor when he presided over the

impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...

trial of Governor

Rod Blagojevich Rod Blagojevich ( , born December 10, 1956), often referred to by his nicknames "Blago" or "B-Rod", is an American former politician, political commentator, and convicted felon who served as the 40th governor of Illinois from 2003 to 2009, when ...

Early life and career

Born in Chicago on July 10, 1941, Fitzgerald graduated from Leo Catholic High School in 1959. He attended

Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Cathol ...

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 University of Illinois Chicago School of Law is a public law school in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1899, the school offers programs for both part-time and full-time students, with both day and night classes available, and offers January enroll ...

, where he was a founder of the school's current law review and served as its associate editor. The son of a circuit court judge, Fitzgerald began his own career in the law as a

prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the Civil law (legal system), civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the ...

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. He served as a

trial judge A trial court or court of first instance is a court having original jurisdiction, in which trials take place. Appeals from the decisions of trial courts are usually made by higher courts with the power of appellate review (appellate courts). Mos ...

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 A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...

. He was elected to the

Supreme Court of Illinois The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...

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. Fitzgerald served as president of the Illinois Judges' Association, chair of the

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. 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

trial of Governor

Retirement and death

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

Awards and honors

Fitzgerald has been awarded the Outstanding Judicial Performance Award by the

Chicago Crime Commission The Chicago Crime Commission is an independent, non-partisan civic watchdog organization of business leaders dedicated to educating the public about the dangers of organized criminal activity, especially organized crime, street gangs and the tools o ...

and honored as Celtic Man of the Year by the Celtic Legal Society. He received the

Herman Kogan Herman Kogan (November 6, 1914 – March 8, 1989) was an American journalist who spent fifty years covering the city of Chicago, many with the ''Chicago Daily News'' and ''Chicago Sun-Times''. Kogan, a 1936 graduate of the University of Chicago ...

Media Award for Excellence in

Broadcast Journalism Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are broadcast by electronic methods instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. It works on radio (via air, cable, and Internet), television (via air, cable, ...

. The Lawyers' Assistance Program honored him in 2000 with the Hon.

John Powers Crowley John Powers Crowley (October 5, 1936 – January 10, 1989) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Education and career Born in Chicago, Illinois, Crowley received a Bachelor ...

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. In 2008, he was awarded the John Paul Stevens Award by the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Foundation. He is a member of the Leo High School Hall of Fame. Fitzgerald was named Chicago Lawyer's 2010 Person of the Year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Thomas R. 1941 births 2015 deaths 20th-century American judges 20th-century American lawyers American prosecutors People with Parkinson's disease Lawyers from Chicago Loyola University Chicago alumni John Marshall Law School (Chicago) alumni Illinois state court judges Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court United States Navy sailors