Congratulations to Justice Anne Burke, who was selected to serve as the next Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Her three-year term will begin on October 26, 2019. Justice Burke will be the fifth woman to currently lead a branch of the Illinois judiciary, joining Chief Judge Diane Wood of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Chief Judge Sarah Darrow of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and Chief Judge Nancy Rosenstengel of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Justice Burke has served on the Illinois Supreme Court since 2006.  She is the third woman to ever sit on the state's highest court.  From 1995 to 2006, she served as a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, First District.  Before that, she served as a Judge to the Court of Claims, as special counsel for Child Welfare Services under Governor Jim Edgar, and as a solo practitioner.  Before embarking on her legal career, Justice Burke worked with mentally disabled children as a physical education teacher with the Chicago Park District and founded the Chicago Special Olympics, which later grew into the International Special Olympics.  Justice Burke is an active member of the American, Illinois State, Chicago, and Women's Bar Associations, and The Illinois Judges' Association.

The Illinois Supreme Court's order announcing Justice Burke's selection may be found here.