HR0632 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0632 LRB093 16047 RAS 41672 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On March 30, 1981, President Ronald Reagan was scheduled to speak to a labor conference at 1:45 p.m. at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, John Hinckley, Jr. ventured to the Washington Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981 with the goal of assassinating President Reagan; and

WHEREAS, At 1:30 p.m., Hinckley stepped forward from a crowd of television reporters and fired six shots from a Rohm R6-14 revolver at President Reagan; and

WHEREAS, The bullets from Hinckley's gun struck President Reagan in the left chest, Press Secretary James Brady in the left temple, Washington D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty in the neck, and Secret Service agent Timothy J. McCarthy in the stomach; and

WHEREAS, Hinckley was immediately arrested, and after seven weeks of testimony and three days of jury deliberation, he was found to have carried out his assassination attempt while under psychotic delusion and pronounced not guilty by reason of insanity; and

WHEREAS, Immediately after the verdict, Hinckley was committed to St. Elizabeth's Mental Hospital in Washington, D.C. where he underwent a psychiatric evaluation and was classified as a danger to himself, Jodie Foster, and any other third party whom he would consider incidental to his ultimate aims; and

WHEREAS, James "Jim" Brady was born in Centralia and is a former resident of Chicago; he is a graduate of the University of Illinois, where he earned a B.S. degree in communications and political science; and

WHEREAS, Jim suffered permanent brain damage from the gunshot wound inflicted by Hinckley, as his memory and speech are forever impaired; his left leg was left partially paralyzed and his left arm remains completely paralyzed; and

WHEREAS, On December 17, 2003, U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Friedman ruled that Hinckley no longer poses a serious danger to himself or others and granted Hinckley permission to begin a series of six daytime and two overnight visits with his parents in the Washington, D.C. area; and

WHEREAS, Judge Friedman, who took the case following the 2001 death of Judge June Green, who consistently ruled against Hinckley, rejected the arguments of federal prosecutors, who said that Hinckley has a history of deception and that they believe he is concealing dangerous thoughts and remains a risk; and

WHEREAS, Judge Friedman's decision not only endangers the public and leaves many in outrage, but serves as an affront to Hinckley's victims and their families; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we condemn Judge Paul L. Friedman for his December 17, 2003 ruling allowing attempted presidential assassin, John Hinckley, Jr., unsupervised daytime and overnight visits with his parents; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be presented to Judge Paul L. Friedman.