Judge Robert Gettleman
Northern Illinois U.S. District Court
Robert William Gettleman was born in May 1943 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He earned two undergraduate degrees from Boston University and received a Juris Doctor from Northwestern University School of Law. He clerked at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Gettleman was in the private practice of law in Chicago for 24 years.
He was nominated by President Bill Clinton to be a district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He was confirmed by the Senate and received his commission in October 1994. He took senior status in May 2009.
In the News…
Two churches in Illinois had called for a temporary restraining order against Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order, asking for permission to hold services with reduced seating, designated entrances and exits and hand sanitizer for all attendees. One of the churches indeed held full services for Mothers’ Day weekend.
U.S. District Judge Robert Gettleman rejected the churches’ equating houses of worship with businesses deemed essential such as grocery stores, saying the more apt comparison would be to closed businesses and institutions like schools and movie theaters.
Gettleman said in his ruling that even with the precautions described, the virus could easily spread in a worship setting, saying their desire to have services “cannot outweigh the health and safety of the public.”
Both churches have filed to appeal the ruling. The pastor of one church said he was prepared to take the case as far as to the U.S. Supreme Court based on rights instilled by the Constitution’s First Amendment.
Contact this Leader…
Did you pray for Judge Gettleman today? You can let him know at:
The Honorable Robert W. Gettleman
U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois
Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse
219 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60604
