Mary Jane Theis sworn in as new chief justice of Illinois Supreme Court
Justice Mary Jane Theis has been sworn in as the new chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Theis, a Chicago native, will be the 122nd chief justice of the state Supreme Court and fourth woman to hold that post, following the late Justice Mary Ann McMorrow, Justice Rita B. Garman and the retiring Justice Anne M. Burke. She will serve a 3-year term as chief justice.
"I look forward to working with the bench, bar and community at large to further the court's mission of providing access to equal justice, ensuring judicial integrity and upholding the rule of law," Theis said in the announcement of her appointment. "Our goal continues to be increasing public trust and confidence in the courts."
As chief justice, Theis will serve as the chief administrative officer of the Illinois Supreme Court, which is vested with general administrative and supervisory authority over more than 900 judges statewide.
The chief justice also selects the items to be placed on the Supreme Court's agenda for consideration during its five terms each year; supervises all appointments to supreme court committees; and presents the court's annual budget request to the Illinois General Assembly.
Theis was born in Chicago in 1949, the only child of Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kenneth R. Wendt and his wife, Eleanore. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Loyola University in 1971 and her juris doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1974.
After an internship at the Marin County public defender's office in California, Theis returned to Chicago as an assistant Cook County public defender and served in that role until 1983, when she was appointed a Cook County associate judge.
In 1993, Theis was assigned to the First District Appellate Court, and in 2010, the Supreme Court appointed her to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Thomas R. Fitzgerald. She won election running as a Democrat for a full term on the court in 2012.
Theis' honors include the American Constitution Society's Legal Legend Award, the Chicago Bar Association's Vanguard Award for making the law and legal profession more accessible to and reflective of the community at large, the Juvenile Justice
Initiative's Champion of Children's Rights Award and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois' Esther Rothstein Award for her vision, contributions and assistance to women in the legal profession.