Co-Chairs

• Justice Gino DiVito
• Governor James R. Thompson

Commissioners

• State's Attorney Joseph E. Birkett
• Public Defender Edwin A. Burnette
• Justice Thomas E. Callum
• Vincent Cornelius
• Senator John Cullerton
• State's Attorney Richard Devine
• Senator Kirk Dillard
• Representative Jim Durkin
• Justice Rodolfo Garcia
• State's Attorney Robert Haida
• Attorney General Lisa Madigan
• Terri L. Mascherin
• Michael Metnick
• Representative Robert S. Molaro
• Giacomo A. "Jack" Pecoraro
• Appellate Defender Michael J. Pelletier
• Stephen Pugh
• Ted Street
• Judge Michael P. Toomin

Director

• Peter G. Baroni

Special Advisor

• John F. Decker

State's Attorney Birkett started his legal career as an Assistant State's Attorney in DuPage County in October 1981 and advanced rapidly through the Criminal Division. In 1985, he was promoted to Chief of the Major Crimes Unit, prosecuting drug delivery cases. The next year Joe was named Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. He served from 1991-1996 as the Chief of the Criminal Division. In October 1996, State's Attorney Birkett was sworn in as DuPage County State's Attorney.

Throughout State's Attorney Birkett career is has received numerous awards and commendations for prosecutorial excellence from State's Attorney’s, law enforcement agencies and victims. He is Past President of the Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation, and is also a member of the American and DuPage County Bar Associations, DuPage American Inns of Court, Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity, the Illinois House of Representatives Capital Punishment Task Force, the Illinois Governor’s Criminal Code Rewrite Commission and is an adjunct Faculty member at National Louis University in Wheaton.

State's Attorney Birkett graduated from both North Central College in Naperville and John Marshall Law School.