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1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
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2 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita B. Garman has been selected to be the | ||||||
3 | next Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, continuing | ||||||
4 | her remarkable career of service to her community and to the | ||||||
5 | people of Illinois; and
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6 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman was chosen unanimously by her | ||||||
7 | fellow justices to succeed Chief Justice Thomas L. Kilbride; | ||||||
8 | she will become only the second female Chief Justice in the | ||||||
9 | history of the Illinois Supreme Court when she begins her | ||||||
10 | 3-year term on October 26, 2013; and
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11 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman is a longtime Vermilion County | ||||||
12 | resident; she currently lives in Danville; and
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13 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman grew up wanting to become a | ||||||
14 | lawyer, a goal that was encouraged by her late parents, Dr. | ||||||
15 | Sheldon and Ellen Bell; and
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16 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman served as valedictorian for | ||||||
17 | her graduating class at Oswego High School in Kendall County; | ||||||
18 | she was awarded several honors at the University of Illinois, | ||||||
19 | where she attended a 6-year Commerce and Law program; and
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20 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman received her bachelor's |
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1 | degree in economics with highest honors; she later earned her | ||||||
2 | Juris Doctor degree with distinction from the University of | ||||||
3 | Iowa College of Law; and | ||||||
4 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman began her legal career with | ||||||
5 | the Vermilion County Legal Aid Society, earning a salary of $90 | ||||||
6 | per week; she later served as an Assistant Vermilion County | ||||||
7 | State's Attorney, trying criminal and juvenile cases; and
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8 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman began her judicial career as | ||||||
9 | an associate judge in Vermilion County in 1974; she was elected | ||||||
10 | to be a circuit judge in the 5th Judicial Circuit in 1986 and | ||||||
11 | served as Presiding Circuit judge in Vermilion County from 1987 | ||||||
12 | to 1998, when she was assigned to the Illinois Appellate Court, | ||||||
13 | 4th District; she was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court | ||||||
14 | the following year; and
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15 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman was appointed to the Illinois | ||||||
16 | Supreme Court in February of 2001; she was later elected to the | ||||||
17 | Supreme Court for 10-year terms in 2002 and 2012; and | ||||||
18 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman has actively participated in | ||||||
19 | hundreds of Supreme Court opinions, as well as the Court's | ||||||
20 | administration; she was also instrumental in the establishment | ||||||
21 | of a Special Court Committee on Child Custody Issues to ensure | ||||||
22 | that children's best interests are the primary focus in child |
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1 | custody cases; and
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2 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman is the longest-serving female | ||||||
3 | judge in the State and will be the first Chief Justice to have | ||||||
4 | served in virtually every judicial capacity in Illinois; and | ||||||
5 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman is a member of the Illinois | ||||||
6 | State Bar Association, the Iowa State Bar Association, the East | ||||||
7 | Central Illinois Women's Bar Association, the Central Illinois | ||||||
8 | Women's Bar Association, the Vermilion County Bar Association, | ||||||
9 | the Lincoln-Douglas Inn of Court, and the Illinois Judges | ||||||
10 | Association, which awarded her a Lifetime Achievement Award in | ||||||
11 | 2007 and the inaugural Harold Sullivan Award for Judicial | ||||||
12 | Excellence in 2011; and | ||||||
13 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman continues to play an active | ||||||
14 | role in her community, participating in a wide variety of | ||||||
15 | events and serving as a member of the Danville Rotary Club, a | ||||||
16 | director emeritus of the Danville Symphony Orchestra and the | ||||||
17 | 708 Mental Health Board, and a member of the Board of Directors | ||||||
18 | of the University of Illinois Alumni Association; and
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19 | WHEREAS, Justice Rita Garman and her husband, Gill, have 2 | ||||||
20 | children and 3 grandchildren; therefore, be it
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21 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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1 | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | ||||||
2 | we honor Justice Rita B. Garman for her long and exceptional | ||||||
3 | service to the people of Illinois and congratulate her and wish | ||||||
4 | her continued success in her new position as Chief Justice of | ||||||
5 | the Illinois Supreme Court; and be it further
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6 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
7 | presented to Justice Rita Garman as an expression of our esteem | ||||||
8 | and respect.
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