HR0950 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0950 LRB095 19045 GRL 45226 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Theodore Gottfried on the occasion of his retirement as Director of the State Appellate Defender in Springfield; and

WHEREAS, Theodore Gottfried received his bachelor's degree in history from Roosevelt University in June of 1963; he earned his J.D. from John Marshall Law School in June of 1966; he was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1966; and

WHEREAS, Theodore Gottfried served as the Director of the State Appellate Defender in Springfield since 1972; as director, he supervised budgets totaling over $100 million and the legal representation in over 40,000 criminal cases in the Appellate and Supreme Courts of Illinois; under his direction, the agency was awarded the Clara Shortridge Foltz Award by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association in recognition of the agency's outstanding achievements in the provision of criminal defense services; and

WHEREAS, Theodore Gottfried has received numerous honors and awards during his legal career, including the Jenner and Block Award from the Center on Wrongful Convictions, NLADA's Reginald Heber Smith Award, the Laureate Award from the Academy of Illinois Lawyers, the Gideon Award presented by the Illinois Public Defender Association, the Access to Justice Award, the Access to Justice special recognition award presented by the Illinois State Bar Association, the Larry Golden Civil Libertarian Award presented by the Springfield Chapter of the ACLU; in addition, he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws Degree presented by The John Marshall Law School and a Meritorious Service Award presented by former Illinois Governor Richard B. Ogilvie; and

WHEREAS, Theodore Gottfried has been a member of many distinguished legal organizations, committees, and commissions, including the Criminal Law Edit, Alignment and Reform Initiative; the Capital Punishment Reform Study Committee; the Governor's Commission to Study the Death Penalty; the Task Force on Professional Practice in the Justice System; the Governor's Advisory Council on Criminal Justice Legislation; the American Bar Association; the National Legal Aid and Defender Association; the Illinois State Bar Association; the Illinois Family Violence Coordinating Council; the Criminal Defense Consortium of Cook County; the Illinois Defender Project; the Illinois Public Defender Association; the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers; the Appellate Lawyers Association; the Illinois Attorneys for Criminal Justice; and the Government Bar Association; he served as Speaker of the House's Criminal Justice Advisory Committee and Speaker of the House's Task Force on the Death Penalty; and

WHEREAS, Theodore Gottfried has been an active member of his community; he is a member of Big Brother-Big Sister of Sangamon County; he is a past manager of Winston Park Little League; he is a past chairman of the Williamsville District 15 Parent Teacher Organization; and

WHEREAS, Theodore Gottfried married Nancy Ann Ringer on May 11, 1973; together, they have two children, William and Nicole; and

WHEREAS, Theodore Gottfried's dedication to his profession and his willingness to serve his community serves as a model of hard work, integrity, and dedication for the people of the State of Illinois; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate Theodore Gottfried on the occasion of his retirement and wish him continued success and happiness in the future; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Theodore Gottfried as a symbol of our esteem and respect.