The Appellate Lawyers Association extends its congratulations to Justice Mary Jane Theis, who has been selected to serve as the next Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Her three-year term will begin on October 26, 2022.  Justice Theis will be the fourth woman to serve as the Court’s Chief Justice, following the late Justice Mary Ann McMorrow, Justice Rita B. Garman, and current Chief Justice Anne M. Burke.

Justice Theis has served on the Illinois Supreme Court since 2010.  From 1983 to 1993, she served as an associate judge and circuit judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County, when she was assigned to the Illinois Appellate Court, First Judicial District.  Justice Theis was elected to the appellate court in 1994 and served there until her appointment to the State’s highest court.  Before serving on the bench, Justice Theis served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office.  She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1974 and Bachelor of Arts Degree from Loyola University in 1971. 

While on the bench, Justice Theis has chaired both the Committee on Judicial Education and the Committee on Judicial Conduct of the Illinois Judicial Conference, and was a member of the Supreme Court Rules Committee.  She also previously served as the Supreme Court liaison to the Illinois Judicial College, President of the Illinois Judges Association, President and founding member of the Illinois Judges Foundation, and President of the Appellate Lawyers Association.  Justice Theis has also served on the Board of Governors of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association, and is a member of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois.

The Illinois Supreme Court’s announcement regarding Justice Theis’s selection may be found here.