Joe Birkett
| Joe Birkett | |
|---|---|
| Appellate court judge on the Illinois Appellate Court - Second District | |
|
Assumed office December 2010 |
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| Appointed by | Illinois Supreme Court |
| Preceded by | Justice Jack O'Malley |
Joseph E. Birkett (born February 13, 1955) is an appellate court judge on the Illinois Appellate Court - Second District. He has been on the appellate court since being appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in December 2010. He subsequently won election to the appellate court at the general election in November 2012. His current term runs through December 2022. Prior to being elevated to the bench, Justice Birkett was the State's Attorney of DuPage County, an office he had held since 1996.
Birkett is one of 10 children on Chicago’s West side. His father died when he was 13. He attended St. Phillip High School, and Aurora Central Catholic High School where he was football team captain and Most Valuable Player. He went on to attend North Central College, where he earned a B.A. in Political Science and English in 1977. He received his Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School in 1981, where he placed first in the Intramural Moot Court Competition.
He was the Assistant State's Attorney of Dupage County from 1981 to 1985, Chief of Major Crimes Unit from 1988 to 1986, Deputy Chief of Criminal Division from 1986 to 1991, Chief of Criminal Division from 1991 to 1996, and has served as DuPage County State's Attorney since then. He was first elected in November 1996, then re-elected in 2000 and 2004.
Birkett gained national attention when he prosecuted Marilyn Lemak in 1999 for the murders of her three children. Lemak is currently serving a life sentence.
He has been married to Patricia Hill since July 9, 1977, and has two children, Nick and Jackie. He is a resident of Wheaton and attends St. Daniel The Prophet Catholic Church in Wheaton. His brother-in-law is George Wendt, who is married to Birkett’s sister Bernadette.
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