SPRINGFIELD – State Sen. Don Harmon (D-Oak Park) issued the following statement about the death of former Illinois Supreme Court chief justice Thomas Fitzgerald.
 
“My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Justice Fitzgerald. He was a gentleman and a lawyer’s lawyer – he spoke softly but clearly, and his voice will be missed. His contributions to the state and to Illinois’ legal community will not be forgotten.”
 
Fitzgerald was a Cook County prosecutor who rose through the ranks to become chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. He presided over the Illinois Senate’s impeachment trial of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2009.
 
Fitzgerald died Sunday at the age of 74.