Robert R. Thomas

For other people named Robert Thomas, see Robert Thomas (disambiguation).

Bob Thomas

No. 16, 12, 9
Position:	Placekicker
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1952-08-07) August 7, 1952
Place of birth:	Rochester, New York
Height:
Weight:
Career information
College:	Notre Dame
NFL draft:	1974 / Round: 15 / Pick: 388
Career history
Chicago Bears (1975–1982) Detroit Lions (1982) Chicago Bears (1983–1984) San Diego Chargers (1985) New York Giants (1986)
Career NFL statistics
Field Goals: 151 Field Goals attempts: 239 Percentage: 63.2% Player stats at NFL.com

Robert Randall Thomas (born August 7, 1952 in Rochester, New York) is a justice of the Supreme Court of Illinois and a former professional football player. He has served as the Illinois Supreme Court Justice for the Second District since December 4, 2000 and as Chief Justice from September 6, 2005 to September 5, 2008. His political affiliation is Republican.

Biography

Thomas graduated from McQuaid Jesuit High School in Rochester, where he excelled both academically and in athletics, lettering in both football and soccer. He attended the University of Notre Dame where he kicked for the football team, including kicking the winning field goal in the 1973 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama, which clinched the AP National Championship that season for the Fighting Irish. He received his B.A. degree in government in 1974 and was named an Academic All-American in that same year. He went on to have a 12–year career as a kicker in the National Football League. He received his J.D. degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1981. He was elected circuit court judge in DuPage County in 1988. There, he presided over civil jury trials and was the Acting Chief Judge from 1989 to 1994. In 1994, Judge Thomas was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court, Second District.

In April 1996, Justice Thomas was inducted into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame, and in January 1999, he received the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. Justice Thomas is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association.

Defamation of Character lawsuit

In 2007, Justice Thomas was awarded $7 million in a successful defamation of character lawsuit against Bill Page, a former columnist at the Kane County Chronicle. The justice's lawyers alleged that Mr. Page had essentially accused him of official misconduct, a felony, when he wrote in his column that he had traded his vote on a disciplinary case in exchange for political support for his favored candidate in a local judicial race. The case was significant because it prompted an Illinois appellate court to establish a judicial privilege in Illinois, allowing judicial deliberations to be kept private, much like doctor-patient discussions.

Ruling on Rahm Emanuel ballot eligibility

On January 1, 2011 Justice Thomas authored the Illinois State Supreme Court decision Maksym vs. Chicago Board of Elections that overturned a lower court ruling that Rahm Emanuel was ineligible to run for Mayor of Chicago.

References

Preceded by Mirro Roder John Roveto

Chicago Bears Kickers 1975-1981 1983-1984

Succeeded by John Roveto Kevin Butler

External links

• Robert R. Thomas bio at the Illinois Supreme Court

Preceded by Gary Hall, Sr. Lawrie Mifflin Drew Pearson Cynthia Potter Sally Ride Harry Smith

Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA) Class of 1999 Dave Casper Anita DeFrantz Pat Summitt Lynn Swann Robert R. Thomas Bill Walton

Succeeded by Dianne Baker Junior Bridgeman Pat Haden Lisa Rosenblum John Dickson Stufflebeem John Trembley