Looking Ahead

This chapter details how, a full year before his defamation trial against Bill Page and the newspaper was to begin (and two years after the lawsuit was filed), Bob Thomas started his three-year stint as the chief justice of the Supreme Court in September of 2005 after being chosen by his colleagues to follow Justice Mary Ann McMorrow. Among other duties, it was Thomas's job as chief to set the discussion agenda for the justices when the court was in term. A few years earlier, Thomas participated in a conference in DuPage County, the Roger O'Reilly Symposium, which was named after a deceased attorney from Wheaton who long exemplified the virtues attorneys were expected to display. Among other presentations at the symposium, Thomas participated on a panel discussion about courtroom professionalism. What followed was the establishment of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Civility.

Justice Tempered with Civility

This chapter discusses how Bob Thomas was elected to the high court. On December 11, 1998, Illinois Supreme Court Justice John Nickels announced he was retiring from the bench, with plans to return to his family farm outside of St. Charles in Kane County. Nickels stated that his departure would be immediate, thus leaving him two years short of completing his ordinary ten-year term. With the election to fill his position not scheduled to take place until November of 2000, an appointment was necessary to fill the vacancy in the interim. Thomas wished to be considered and also had an eye on the election two years down the road. On September 13, 1999, Bob Thomas announced from the steps of the DuPage County Courthouse that he was entering the race for the Republican primary in March 2000. Now, more than ever before, Thomas would be relentlessly hitting the campaign trail nearly every night, requiring the understanding and cooperation of those closest to him. On November 7, 2000, Thomas was overwhelmingly elected to the high court.