Robert R. Thomas

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Bob Thomas
Date of birth: (1952-08-07) August 7, 1952
Place of birth: Rochester, New York
Career information
Position(s): Placekicker
College: Notre Dame
NFL Draft: 1974 / Round: 15 / Pick 388
(By the Los Angeles Rams)
Organizations
As player:
1975–1982
1982
1983–1984
1985
1986
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Chicago Bears
San Diego Chargers
New York Giants
Career stats
Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Robert R. Thomas (born August 7, 1952 in Rochester, New York) is a justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and a former professional football player. He has served as the Illinois Supreme Court Justice for the Second District since December 4, 2000 and as Chief Justice from September 6, 2005 to September 5, 2008. His political affiliation is Republican.

Biography

Thomas graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, where he excelled both academically and in athletics, lettering in both football and soccer. He attended the University of Notre Dame where he kicked for the football team, including kicking the winning field goal in the 1973 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama, which clinched the AP National Championship that season for the Fighting Irish. He received his B.A. degree in government in 1974 and was named an Academic All-American in that same year. He went on to have a 12year career as a kicker in the National Football League.[1] He received his J.D. degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1981. He was elected circuit court judge in DuPage County in 1988. There, he presided over civil jury trials and was the Acting Chief Judge from 1989 to 1994. In 1994, Judge Thomas was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court, Second District.

In April 1996, Justice Thomas was inducted into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame, and in January 1999, he received the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. Justice Thomas is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association.

Defamation of Character lawsuit

In 2007, Justice Thomas was awarded $7 million in a successful defamation of character lawsuit against Bill Page, a former columnist at the Kane County Chronicle. The justice's lawyers alleged that Mr. Page had essentially accused him of official misconduct, a felony, when he wrote in his column that he had traded his vote on a disciplinary case in exchange for political support for his favored candidate in a local judicial race. The case was significant because it prompted an Illinois appellate court to establish a judicial privilege in Illinois, allowing judicial deliberations to be kept private, much like doctor-patient discussions.[2]

Ruling on Rahm Emanuel ballot eligibility

On January 1, 2011 Justice Thomas authored the Illinois State Supreme Court decision Maksym vs. Chicago Board of Elections[3] that overturned a lower court ruling that Rahm Emanuel was ineligible to run for Mayor of Chicago.

References

Preceded by
Mirro Roder
Chicago Bears Kickers
1975-1984
Succeeded by
Kevin Butler

External links

Preceded by
Gary Hall, Sr.
Lawrie Mifflin
Drew Pearson
Cynthia Potter
Sally Ride
Harry Smith
Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA)
Class of 1999
Dave Casper
Anita DeFrantz
Pat Summitt
Lynn Swann
Robert R. Thomas
Bill Walton
Succeeded by
Dianne Baker
Junior Bridgeman
Pat Haden
Lisa Rosenblum
John Dickson Stufflebeem
John Trembley
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