Integrity

This chapter examines the libelous article which was written by part-time columnist Bill Page and published by the Kane County Chronicle. The article told the story of Mary Elizabeth “Meg” Gorecki, who had been a rising star in the Illinois legal community but committed ethics violations. In his column, Page claimed Bob Thomas originally wanted to pursue a much steeper penalty for Gorecki—up to and including disbarment. Yet in the end, Page contended, Thomas pushed a four-month suspension in return for the Gorecki camp assisting one of Thomas's appointed judges, Robert Spence, in an upcoming election. Thomas then called Chicago attorney Joseph Power, Jr. and suggested they consider filing a defamation lawsuit. Backed into a corner, Thomas was left with no alternative. He would not be able to uphold any semblance of moral authority if he permitted the libelous statements to live. Justice was necessary for him to keep working as a justice. An unconditional exoneration through litigation, he knew, was now the only way to retain the confidence of attorneys. The defamation suit was filed on January 16, 2004, naming Page, managing editor Greg Rivara, and the Shaw Suburban Newspaper Group (which owned the Chronicle) as defendants.

Boot Camp—and Moving On

This chapter describes how Bob Thomas acknowledged the inevitability of Rolf Benirschke returning at some point to compete for his old job. Although the San Diego Chargers' long-time kicker was indeed on his way back, the team still expressed an interest in negotiating a new deal with Thomas. But in deference to Benirschke, Thomas declined the team's qualifying offer and requested his release. It was time for Thomas to head back to the western suburbs of Chicago and resume his law work with the Callahan firm, while also keeping in shape in the hope that another chance would come. The chapter then recounts how Thomas landed at the New York Giants' training camp facilities at Pace University. It also looks at how Thomas became a circuit court judge.

South Bend

This chapter examines how Bob Thomas headed for South Bend, Indiana, and arrived at the University of Notre Dame as a walk-on in football. When Thomas appeared for his first day of football workouts, he was greeted with the cold dismissal typically given to walk-ons. After waiting in line for the secondhand equipment issued to non-scholarship players, he was given the ignominious jersey number 98. With first-year students ineligible for the varsity at that time, Thomas spent his initial year at Notre Dame suiting up for the limited number of freshman football games while also playing in a few contests for the university's club soccer team. Otherwise, he acclimated himself to the milieu of college as he took up residence on the North Quad. After completing one semester of a pre-med curriculum, Thomas realized it would be difficult to continue that concentration while playing football. He took some business courses and ultimately ended up majoring in government studies. The chapter then details Thomas's career as a kicker for the Fighting Irish.

Looking Ahead

This chapter details how, a full year before his defamation trial against Bill Page and the newspaper was to begin (and two years after the lawsuit was filed), Bob Thomas started his three-year stint as the chief justice of the Supreme Court in September of 2005 after being chosen by his colleagues to follow Justice Mary Ann McMorrow. Among other duties, it was Thomas's job as chief to set the discussion agenda for the justices when the court was in term. A few years earlier, Thomas participated in a conference in DuPage County, the Roger O'Reilly Symposium, which was named after a deceased attorney from Wheaton who long exemplified the virtues attorneys were expected to display. Among other presentations at the symposium, Thomas participated on a panel discussion about courtroom professionalism. What followed was the establishment of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Civility.