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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The Members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the Honorable Jorge L.
4Ortiz on being unanimously elected Chief Judge of the 19th
5Judicial Circuit Court of Lake County; and
 
6    WHEREAS, With the election to the post of Chief Judge of
7the 19th Judicial Circuit, Judge Ortiz becomes the first Latino
8judge to hold such a position in the Lake County Circuit; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz was elected to the position in June of
102015 and will officially begin his term as Chief Judge on
11January 4, 2016 and serve until January 1, 2017; and
 
12    WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz was born and raised in the Logan
13Square neighborhood on Chicago's Northwest Side; his parents
14migrated to the United States from Puerto Rico in the 1950s to
15commence a new chapter in their lives; he was the youngest of 9
16children; and
 
17    WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz is a graduate of St. Ignatius College
18Preparatory School in Chicago; he received his undergraduate
19degree from Loyola University and his Juris Doctorate from The
20John Marshall Law School; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, After obtaining his legal degree, Judge Ortiz
2began his career in law in the traffic and misdemeanor division
3of the Lake County State's Attorney's Office; in 1990, he
4joined the private law firm of Soffietti, Johnson, Teegen, &
5Phillips, Ltd. located in Fox Lake; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 2002, Judge Ortiz became the first Latino judge
7in Lake County when he was selected as associate judge; he
8served as associate judge until his appointment to circuit
9judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2008; he was elected as
10circuit judge 2 years later in 2010 and currently serves as
11Deputy Chief Judge and Presiding Judge of the Civil Division;
12and
 
13    WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz is not only a highly respected
14authority in the Lake County legal system, he is also a renown,
15trusted figure on topics and matters concerning family law; he
16has lectured for the United States Department of Health and
17Human Services' Office of Child Support Enforcement, the
18Illinois State Bar Association, the Hispanic National Bar
19Association, the Loyola University School of Law, and numerous
20other influential legal institutions; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Apart from serving his community through his
22position in the judicial system, Judge Ortiz proudly serves on
23the Board of Directors for the Illinois Judges Association, the

 

 

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1Illinois Judges Foundation, and the Healthcare Foundation of
2Northern Lake County; he, additionally, is a member of the
3Illinois State and Lake County Bar Associations; and
 
4    WHEREAS, In October of 2014, Judge Ortiz was awarded the
5inaugural Outstanding Jurist of the Year Award by the Illinois
6Family Support Enforcement Association as a testament to his
7unwavering effort to improve child support enforcement in Lake
8County through the establishment of stronger community ties and
9improvement of policies and practices that impact the lives of
10afflicted families; on December of 2014, former Governor Pat
11Quinn appointed Judge Ortiz to the Illinois Council on
12Responsible Fatherhood; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz has 2 daughters with his wife, Meg,
14and resides in the Village of Antioch in Lake County - a place
15he has called home for well over 2 decades; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Judge Ortiz is a loving husband, father, friend,
17and neighbor; he has devoted his life to improving his
18community so as to create a better way of life for those around
19him; he is a committed public servant and one who has remained
20humble above all else; therefore, be it
 
21    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
22NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we

 

 

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1extend a sincere congratulatory sentiment to the Honorable
2Jorge L. Ortiz for his unanimous election to serve as Chief
3Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit Court of Lake County; and be
4it further
 
5    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6presented to Judge Ortiz as a symbol of our upmost
7commendation.