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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
HONORING CHIEF JUSTICE ANNE BURKE FOR HER LIFE OF SERVICE
WHEREAS, Chief Justice Anne Burke stepped down as an Illinois Supreme Court Justice on October 25, 2022. Chief Justice Burke has served as an Associate Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court since 2006. She was elected to a full 10-year term in 2008 and 2018. She has served as Chief Justice since 2019; and
WHEREAS, as Chief Justice, Burke is credited with leading the Illinois courts through their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She convened a COVID-19 Court Leadership meeting for Supreme Court Justices, Presiding Appellate Court Justices, Chief Circuit Court Judges, Trial Court Administrators, AOIC (Administrative Offices of the Illinois Courts) staff, and other Judicial Branch partners. Through this idea-sharing platform, court partners solved many problems around the state simply by talking to one another and replicating successful ideas offered by their colleagues. To date, 42 of these meetings have been held since the first one on March 13, 2020. Additionally, Chief Justice Burke called for creation of a resource that people could call, text, or email to get court information provided by AOIC staff dedicated to this task. The Illinois Court Help was born in May 2021 and has now answered thousands of questions and provided helpful information for hundreds of court users; and
WHEREAS, two other seismic events occurred during Chief Justice Burke’s tenure. The first was the redistricting of the four appellate court districts outside of Cook County. A Task Force was created and identified the logistical issues that needed to be addressed and developed a plan for implementation, including a Supreme Court “pause” order - since lifted - to allow time for the courts to take necessary measures in preparation for this significant change. The second was the passage of the SAFE-T Act that eliminated the use of cash bail in Illinois, along with other changes to the pretrial system. Under her leadership, the Supreme Court’s Pretrial Implementation Task Force has been working hard to make certain our courts are ready when these dramatic changes go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023; and
WHEREAS, Chief Justice Burke also led the impactful work of the Illinois Mental Health Task Force and encouraged the creation of the Supreme Court Commission on Elder Law. The Commission on Elder Law recently hosted a well-received lecture and panel discussion with the Polish Supreme Court Justice Mariusz Załucki. Under Chief Justice Burke’s leadership, the Court also created the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Security and Safety that will continue the important work that has made the Illinois Supreme Court a national leader in this area; and
WHEREAS, Chief Justice Burke’s civic engagement began long before her work on the courts. Born Anne Marie McGlone, she was raised on Chicago's South Side. She has two brothers and one sister. She graduated from Maria High School; and
WHEREAS, in the late 1960s, Chief Justice Burke worked as a physical education teacher with the Chicago Park District. She began advocating for the idea of holding a Special Olympics for children who are developmentally challenged. The first Special Olympics was held at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1968; and
WHEREAS, Chief Justice Burke subsequently returned to school while raising her own children. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from DePaul University in 1976 and a Juris Doctor degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1983; and
WHEREAS, Chief Justice Burke was admitted to the Illinois bar and federal Northern District of Illinois in 1983, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in 1985. She was certified for the Northern District's trial bar in 1987; and
WHEREAS, in 1987, Illinois Governor James R. Thompson appointed her a judge of the Illinois Court of Claims. She was reappointed by Governor Jim Edgar in 1991. Chief Justice Burke was the first woman to serve on the Illinois Court of Claims. Chief Justice Burke was appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1995 and was elected to that court in 1996; and
WHEREAS, a longtime advocate for children and the disabled, Chief Justice Anne Burke has worked to improve the lives of young people with disabilities as a teacher, attorney, and founder of the Chicago Special Olympics, now the International Special Olympics. In April 1994, Chief Justice Burke was appointed special counsel to the Governor for Child Welfare Services in Illinois. As a Special Counsel, she initiated reforms to the juvenile justice system that increased cooperation among law enforcement and social service agencies and strengthened child protection services; and
WHEREAS, Chief Justice Burke is a Dame of Malta, a Roman Catholic lay religious order. She served on the National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People, and was appointed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops of the U.S. Roman Catholic Church. She was interim chair from 2002 to 2004, and was instrumental in conducting the surveys and studies that supported the John Jay Report into the Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United State; and
WHEREAS, many people’s lives have been touched and made better because of the work that Chief Justice Burke has done.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Commissioners of Cook County, on behalf of the 5.2 million residents of Cook County, honors Chief Justice Anne Burke for her life of service and expresses its sincere appreciation for the work she has done for the residents of Cook County and Illinois; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be spread upon the official proceedings of this Honorable Body and that an official copy of the same be tendered to Chief Justice Anne Burke.
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