2008 Illinois ABOTA President
John W. Bell
As Vice President and Shareholder of Johnson & Bell, Ltd., I have been involved in ABOTA since 1998 and currently serve as President of the Illinois Chapter. Prior to serving as President, I held the position of Treasurer of the Illinois Chapter for two years.
The primary focus of ABOTA is preserving the right to trial by jury as guaranteed by the Seventh Amendment. One way this is done is by educating the public on the history and value of the right to trial by jury. As such, ABOTA developed the CD-ROM, Justice by the People. This curriculum includes four lesson plans aligned with national teaching standards for social studies, civics and language arts so they can be easily integrated into the existing program of study and state curriculum goals. The CD displays attractive graphics and includes the topics: Making Decisions by Group: The Jury System; A History of Conflict Resolution and the Jury System; Participating in the Jury System; and Preparing for Trial.
With the assistance of Mary Koblas, Director of the Office of Information, Outreach and Ombudsman Services for the Chicago Public School (CPS) system, we were able to add ABOTA Foundation’s Justice by the People to the middle school offerings at CPS. In addition, we worked directly with Chicago Public Library Commissioner, Mary Dempsey, and were able to make the CD available in over 20 locations throughout the Chicago Public Library system. This CD is currently distributed throughout the country via ABOTA chapters and is made available directly to teachers, free of charge, on a one CD per school basis. The Foundation is the association’s non-profit 501(c)(3) educational arm.
During my tenure as President, we hosted two important programs each year. One occurs on May 1st, which is celebrated as the “Law Day” luncheon the other takes place in November and is identified as “Judge of the Year” (JOY) luncheon.
Law Day constitutes a day of celebration by the people of the United States in appreciation of their liberties and the reaffirmation of their loyalty to the United States and of their rededication to the ideals of equality and justice under law in their relations with each other and with other countries; and for the cultivation of the respect for law that is so vital to our democratic way of life.
Our 2007 Law Day luncheon was addressed by Justice Warren D. Wolfson, Appellate Judge of the First District, 1st Division. Justice Wolfson received a B.S. degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1955 and his bachelor of law degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1957. After a distinguished career as a criminal defense attorney, Justice Wolfson was assigned to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1994, after having been a Circuit Court Judge since his appointment to the bench in 1975. He has been an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy and Director of the Trial Advocacy Program at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law since 1971. As a founder and past president of the Lawyers’ Assistance Program, which provides counseling to lawyers and judges with substance abuse problems, Justice Wolfson has performed an important service to both the profession and the public.
In 2008, First District, 1st Division Appellate Justice Robert E. Gordon, addressed our luncheon. As a lifelong Chicagoan, Justice Gordon graduated from Roosevelt High School in Chicago, and then went on to the University of Illinois and DePaul University Law School. He was admitted to the bar in 1962 and practiced privately as both a civil and criminal lawyer for 34 years before being appointed to a judgeship by the Illinois Supreme Court. He served as a jury trial judge in the Municipal Division from 1997 to 2003. Since 2003, Justice Gordon has served as a jury trial judge in the Law Division. Justice Gordon is regarded as having excellent knowledge of law and procedure with a strong work ethic and has been commended for his informal efforts to educate inexperienced lawyers who appear before him.
In 2007, the recipient of the “Judge of the Year” award was Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke. Justice Burke received her B.A. degree in education from DePaul University in 1976 and her J.D. degree from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1983. While a trailblazer for women in the state judicial system, Justice Burke is perhaps best known for her lifelong advocacy for children and the disabled. As a teacher in the Chicago Park District, she helped start what is now known as the Special Olympics. In recognition of her expertise regarding children, Justice Burke was named by Governor Jim Edgar to lead a successful effort to improve Illinois‘ child welfare programs and juvenile justice system. In 2003 and 2004, Justice Burke served as head of the panel that investigated the Catholic priest sex abuse scandal, and was sharply critical of the U.S. Conference of Bishops when it dragged its feet on implementing reforms. During the time she has been on the Supreme Court, and from her prior service as a Justice of the Illinois Court of Claims and 11 years as a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, Justice Burke has earned a reputation as an independent and fair-minded judge who decides each case strictly on its merits. Congratulations to Justice Anne M. Burke!
The 2008 “Judge of the Year” recipient is Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Thomas. Justice Thomas received his B.A. degree in Government from the University of Notre Dame in 1974, and was named an Academic All-American in that same year. He received his J.D. degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1981 while playing professional football. Justice Thomas experienced a twelve-year professional football career, in which he played ten seasons with the Chicago Bears and still ranks as team record-holder for field goals and points scored by a kicker. After seven years of practice in civil litigation, he was elected to the state circuit court in 1988 and to the state appellate court six years later. Justice Thomas earned a seat on Illinois’ highest court with election to the Supreme Court in 2000. Justice Thomas understands the need for collegiality and professional civility in the legal profession—a primary goal since his first days on the Court. Within two months of his election to the Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court approved new rules designed to improve the quality of legal services and promote civility among lawyers. The initiatives require the establishment of a permanent Commission on Professionalism. Congratulations to Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Thomas!
Honorees of the prestigious JOY award are given the tremendous gift of a star spangled banner—a 1914 replica flag and an engraved plague with the history of the flag and Francis Scott Key’s inspired poem which became the National Anthem in 1931.
For further information on the Illinois Chapter of ABOTA or the Justice by the People CD-ROM, please feel free to contact me directly at (312) 372-0770 or bellj@jbltd.com.
