Illinois Chief Justice Will Step Down

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (CN) - Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald will retire in October. Appellate Court Justice Mary Jane Theis will take over for Fitzgerald on Oct. 26 and will serve for 2 years.

Illinois Supreme Court spokesman Joe Tybor announced the changes.

Justice Fitzgerald has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, the Chicago Tribune reported. Fitzgerald was elected to the Supreme Court in 2000 and became chief justice in 2008.

The next election for the state Supreme Court is in 2012.

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