HR0632

LRB093 16047 RAS 41672 r









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HOUSE RESOLUTION


 
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    WHEREAS, On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was 
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scheduled to speak to a labor conference at 1:45 p.m. at the 
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Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.; and

 
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    WHEREAS, John Hinckley, Jr. ventured to the Washington 
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Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981 with the goal of assassinating 
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President Reagan; and
 
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    WHEREAS, At 1:30 p.m., Hinckley stepped forward from a 
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crowd of television reporters and fired six shots from a Rohm 
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R6-14 revolver at President Reagan; and
 
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    WHEREAS, The bullets from Hinckley's gun struck President 
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Reagan in the left chest, Press Secretary James Brady in the 
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left temple, Washington D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty in 
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the neck, and Secret Service agent Timothy J. McCarthy in the 
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stomach; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Hinckley was immediately arrested, and after 
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seven weeks of testimony and three days of jury deliberation, 
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he was found to have carried out his assassination attempt 
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while under psychotic delusion and pronounced not guilty by 
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reason of insanity; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Immediately after the verdict, Hinckley was 
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committed to St. Elizabeth's Mental Hospital in Washington, 
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D.C. where he underwent a psychiatric evaluation and was 
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classified as a danger to himself, Jodie Foster, and any other 
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third party whom he would consider incidental to his ultimate 
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aims; and
 
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    WHEREAS, James "Jim" Brady was born in Centralia and is a 
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former resident of Chicago; he is a graduate of the University 
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of Illinois, where he earned a B.S. degree in communications 
 


 









HR0632
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LRB093 16047 RAS 41672 r







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and political science; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Jim suffered permanent brain damage from the 
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gunshot wound inflicted by Hinckley, as his memory and speech 
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are forever impaired; his left leg was left partially paralyzed 
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and his left arm remains completely paralyzed; and
 
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    WHEREAS, On December 17, 2003, U.S. District Court Judge 
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Paul L. Friedman ruled that Hinckley no longer poses a serious 
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danger to himself or others and granted Hinckley permission to 
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begin a series of six daytime and two overnight visits with his 
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parents in the Washington, D.C. area; and
 
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    WHEREAS, Judge Friedman, who took the case following the 
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2001 death of Judge June Green, who consistently ruled against 
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Hinckley, rejected the arguments of federal prosecutors, who 
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said that Hinckley has a history of deception and that they 
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believe he is concealing dangerous thoughts and remains a risk; 
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and
 
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    WHEREAS, Judge Friedman's decision not only endangers the 
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public and leaves many in outrage, but serves as an affront to 
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Hinckley's victims and their families; therefore, be it

 
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    RESOLVED, BY THE  HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE 
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NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 
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condemn Judge Paul L. Friedman for his December 17, 2003 ruling 
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allowing attempted presidential assassin, John Hinckley, Jr., 
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unsupervised daytime and overnight visits with his parents; and 
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be it further

 
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    RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to 
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Judge Paul L. Friedman.