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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, John R. Lausch Jr. is a native of the State of
3Illinois; born in Joliet in 1970, he graduated from Harvard
4College in 1992 and graduated from Northwestern University
5School of Law in 1996; and
 
6    WHEREAS, After his graduation from Northwestern University
7School of Law, John R. Lausch Jr. accepted a clerkship with the
8late Michael Stephen Kanne, who was a judge of the United
9States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, which is the
10federal judicial circuit with appellate jurisdiction over
11Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin; and
 
12    WHEREAS, While serving his appellate clerkship, John R.
13Lausch Jr. became intimately aware of the day-to-day work of
14the Northern District of Illinois, including the work of the
15office of the United States Attorney for this District; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Earning a high reputation among his fellow legal
17professionals, John R. Lausch Jr. worked as a lawyer in both
18the private sector and as a public prosecutor; he served as
19Assistant U.S. Attorney within the Office of the United States
20Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1999 to
212010, where he specialized in the prosecution of narcotic
22offenses and gang crime; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, After leaving the office of Assistant U.S.
2Attorney, John R. Lausch Jr. accepted a partnership at
3Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he specialized in corporate
4investigations and litigation; and
 
5    WHEREAS, In 2017, John R. Lausch Jr. was named by the
6President of the United States, Donald Trump, to serve as the
7United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois;
8after confirmation by the United States Senate, he was sworn
9in on November 22, 2017; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The position of federal prosecutor in the
11Northern District of Illinois is well known to be one of the
12most challenging jobs in law enforcement; although this office
13only covers part of Illinois, this section of the State is the
14section that has jurisdiction over most of the people, most of
15the illegal transactions, and most of the highest-ranking
16officials of the State; and
 
17    WHEREAS, During John R. Lausch Jr.'s time leading the
18Northern District, federal law enforcement took on many
19additional duties relating to the growing threat of violent
20crime, the growing presence of illegal drugs, the growing
21omens related to international relations, and the growing
22challenge of corruption among some Illinoisans; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, John R. Lausch Jr. enjoyed bipartisan support for
2his leadership of the Northern District of Illinois due to his
3fair-minded approach at working to rid the State from the
4scourge of public corruption; and
 
5    WHEREAS, As time passes, many additional stories and
6narratives will be written about the work of the Northern
7District's office, headed by John R. Lausch Jr., in facing
8these and other harsh threats to the people of Illinois and the
9United States; and
 
10    WHEREAS, On March 1, 2023, John R. Lausch Jr. announced
11his resignation from the position of United States Attorney
12for the Northern District of Illinois; and
 
13    WHEREAS, In his resignation announcement, John R. Lausch
14Jr. pointed towards the work done by his team to battle Chicago
15violent crime, to prosecute members and leaders of organized
16criminal street gangs, and to increase the priority placed
17upon the prosecution of street gun crime, including the
18illegal transfer of firearms to felons and other prohibited
19persons; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In his resignation announcement, John R. Lausch
21Jr. paid special tribute not only to his colleagues in the

 

 

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1Northern District's office but also to those who have
2partnered with his office from the ranks of federal law
3enforcement, State law enforcement, and local law enforcement;
4and
 
5    WHEREAS, In his resignation announcement, John R. Lausch
6Jr. told his colleagues and the people of Illinois that "it has
7been the privilege of a lifetime to lead the U.S. Attorney's
8Office in Chicago"; and
 
9    WHEREAS, The resignation of U.S. Attorney John R. Lausch
10Jr. will be effective on Saturday, March 11, 2023; therefore,
11be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
13HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14we thank John R. Lausch Jr. for the tireless service that he
15displayed in facing the countless challenges of his office;
16and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That we look forward to John R. Lausch Jr.'s
18colleagues, and the next person chosen for the office of
19United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois,
20continuing his work and their work; and be it further
 
21    RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution be presented to

 

 

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1John R. Lausch Jr., the United States Attorney for the
2Northern District of Illinois and to Morris "Sonny" Pasqual,
3the Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of
4Illinois.