Justice Robert L. Carter of the Illinois Appellate Court, Third Judicial District, was selected to join the Illinois Supreme Court on December 8, 2020.  Justice Carter will fill the vacancy of Justice Thomas L. Kilbride.

Justice Carter, a native of Ottawa, Illinois, has been a judge since 1979.  He was elected Circuit Judge in 1988 and became Chief Judge in 1993.  He has served on the Third District Appellate Court since 2006.

In December 2002, Justice Carter was elected Chair of the Conference of Chief Judges and re-elected in 2003 and 2005.  He completed a one-week course in mediation at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, in the summer of 2001.  Since 1980, Justice Carter has been a lecturer at judicial education programs on topics such as jury trials, evidence, contempt, and domestic relations.

Before serving on the bench, Justice Carter served in the United States Army in Vietnam between 1969 and 1970 and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal.  He worked as a law clerk to Justice Howard C. Ryan of the Illinois Supreme Court from 1974 to 1975 and engaged in private practice from 1975 to 1979.  He holds A.B. and J.D. degrees from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and a Master of Arts in Administration from Sangamon State University. 

Justice Carter's appointment will terminate December 5, 2022.