Illinois Supreme Court chief justice retires

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald announced Monday that he will resign next month because of health reasons, a court spokesman said.

Fitzgerald, who has served as chief justice since September 2008, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease this month, spokesman Joe Tybor said.

Tybor said Fitzgerald told his fellow justices he did not want to do anything to hurt court or the people he serves by staying on the court. Fitzgerald said he is capable of all the court's duties at this time, but does not know how long that will be, Tybor said.

Appellate Court Justice Mary Jane Theis will fill the empty seat after Fitzgerald's last day on Oct. 25. and will sit on the court until the November 2012 election. The seat will not be on this year's ballot because filling dates have passed, Tybor said. Theis will not be the court's chief justice, that decision will be made in a few days, he said.

Fitzgerald told his colleagues Monday afternoon behind closed doors on the first day of the court's September sessions, Tybor said.

Fitzgerald, a native Chicagoan and son of an Illinois Circuit Court Judge, began his career as a prosecutor in the Cook County state's attorney's office. He was first elected to the Circuit Court bench in 1976 and was the youngest elected circuit judge in Cook County at the time. He was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2000.