Bill Text: IL HR0802 | 2015-2016 | 99th General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Congratulates Jorge L. Ortiz on being unanimously elected Chief Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit Court of Lake County.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Passed) 2015-10-20 - Resolution Adopted [HR0802 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2015-HR0802-Introduced.html

---

HR0802 LRB099 14482 MST 38597 r
HOUSE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, The Members of the Illinois House of
Representatives wish to congratulate the Honorable Jorge L.
Ortiz on being unanimously elected Chief Judge of the 19th
Judicial Circuit Court of Lake County; and
WHEREAS, With the election to the post of Chief Judge of
the 19th Judicial Circuit, Judge Ortiz becomes the first Latino
judge to hold such a position in the Lake County Circuit; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz was elected to the position in June of
2015 and will officially begin his term as Chief Judge on
January 4, 2016 and serve until January 1, 2017; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz was born and raised in the Logan
Square neighborhood on Chicago's Northwest Side; his parents
migrated to the United States from Puerto Rico in the 1950s to
commence a new chapter in their lives; he was the youngest of 9
children; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz is a graduate of St. Ignatius College
Preparatory School in Chicago; he received his undergraduate
degree from Loyola University and his Juris Doctorate from The
John Marshall Law School; and

HR0802 - 2 - LRB099 14482 MST 38597 r
WHEREAS, After obtaining his legal degree, Judge Ortiz
began his career in law in the traffic and misdemeanor division
of the Lake County State's Attorney's Office; in 1990, he
joined the private law firm of Soffietti, Johnson, Teegen, &
Phillips, Ltd. located in Fox Lake; and
WHEREAS, In 2002, Judge Ortiz became the first Latino judge
in Lake County when he was selected as associate judge; he
served as associate judge until his appointment to circuit
judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2008; he was elected as
circuit judge 2 years later in 2010 and currently serves as
Deputy Chief Judge and Presiding Judge of the Civil Division;
and
WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz is not only a highly respected
authority in the Lake County legal system, he is also a renown,
trusted figure on topics and matters concerning family law; he
has lectured for the United States Department of Health and
Human Services' Office of Child Support Enforcement, the
Illinois State Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar
Association, the Loyola University School of Law, and numerous
other influential legal institutions; and
WHEREAS, Apart from serving his community through his
position in the judicial system, Judge Ortiz proudly serves on
the Board of Directors for the Illinois Judges Association, the

HR0802 - 3 - LRB099 14482 MST 38597 r
Illinois Judges Foundation, and the Healthcare Foundation of
Northern Lake County; he, additionally, is a member of the
Illinois State and Lake County Bar Associations; and
WHEREAS, In October of 2014, Judge Ortiz was awarded the
inaugural Outstanding Jurist of the Year Award by the Illinois
Family Support Enforcement Association as a testament to his
unwavering effort to improve child support enforcement in Lake
County through the establishment of stronger community ties and
improvement of policies and practices that impact the lives of
afflicted families; on December of 2014, former Governor Pat
Quinn appointed Judge Ortiz to the Illinois Council on
Responsible Fatherhood; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz has 2 daughters with his wife, Meg,
and resides in the Village of Antioch in Lake County - a place
he has called home for well over 2 decades; and
WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz is a loving husband, father, friend,
and neighbor; he has devoted his life to improving his
community so as to create a better way of life for those around
him; he is a committed public servant and one who has remained
humble above all else; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we

HR0802 - 4 - LRB099 14482 MST 38597 r
extend a sincere congratulatory sentiment to the Honorable
Jorge L. Ortiz for his unanimous election to serve as Chief
Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit Court of Lake County; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
presented to Judge Ortiz as a symbol of our upmost
commendation.