Bar honors new chief justice

A reception next month in honor of Chief Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald of the Illinois Supreme Court is being sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association and The John Marshall Law School.

The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, in the Grand Ballroom of the Standard Club.

There is no charge to attend, but reservations are required. Contact Tamra Drees at (312) 554-2057 or tdrees@chicagobar.org.

A Supreme Court justice since Dec. 4, 2000, Fitzgerald succeeded Robert R. Thomas as chief justice on Sept. 6. He was elected unanimously to a three-year term during the court’s May session.

A 1968 honors graduate of The John Marshall Law School, Fitzgerald received its Freedom Award in 2001. He is a past president of the Illinois Judges Association.

He was elected to the Cook County Circuit Court in 1976 after eight years as an assistant state’s attorney. He became supervising judge of Traffic Court in 1987 and presiding judge of the Criminal Division in 1989.

The featured article in the September issue of the Illinois Bar Journal is an interview with Justice Fitzgerald by Highland Park attorney Helen W. Gunnarsson.