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The Illinois Judges Association consists of over 1300 current and retired judges. The Association supports judicial excellence and professional development and judicial education, fosters public confidence in an independent judiciary, works to preserve the independence of the judiciary by educating the public and students, and promotes a diverse judiciary that administers justice in a fair and impartial court system. 

President Mary Colleen Roberts and John Lupton, Executive Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission discuss visiting the

Illinois Supreme Court House, preserving the Illinois Judiciary, the new Learning Center and so much more! 

 

IJA Officers Partnering with Schools to Make History in Springfield  

 

We are pleased to announce an initiative that began in May of 2024 will be now highlighted on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, in Springfield. On behalf of the IJA, St. Clair County Judiciary, and the Illinois Judiciary as a whole,  St. Clair County Circuit Judge Heinz Rudolf (thanks to the guidance of then IJA President Illinois Supreme Court Justice David K. Overstreet and continued encouragement of St. Clair County Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson) partnered with Freeburg School District leaders, Illinois State Senator Christopher Belt and students to address one of the most pressing issues affecting our youth – the impact of social media. Taking the lessons learned directly from the students following the IJA in-school presentations, a working initiative began to have community discussions with students to help foster safer online experiences. The in-person meetings grew to include several remotely held meetings that included various stakeholders throughout the state over the course of 2024. Such collaboration was formally put to the test when Freeburg community leaders and the St. Clair County Judiciary (Judges Andrew Gleeson, Heinz Rudolf, and John O’Gara) put on a community Social Media Awareness Night. The evening included the IJA’s “Worries of the WWW,” discussion regarding correlations between social media usage and the impact on students’ mental health, concluding with the results of a parent survey created by Freeburg leaders to gauge parental awareness of the current social media apps used by their children and actual time of social media usage. The night was a huge success with nearly 800 parents, students, and community members in attendance for this honest discussion of the positives and pitfalls of social media and the direct impact on our youth.

 

IJA OFFICER NAMED 2025 CELT OF THE YEAR

 

PRO BONO SPOTLIGHT

Judge Veronica O'Malley

 

This month, the Illinois Judges’ Association’s Pro Bono Committee is spotlighting a judge who has been committed to remaining a fixture in her community while sitting on the bench, the Honorable Veronica O’Malley.

 Judge O’Malley earned both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Upon graduating from law school, she was in private practice for a few years before beginning a lengthy career with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.  While employed as a prosecutor, Judge O’Malley worked her way up and handled many serious criminal cases.  Ultimately, she was promoted to Chief of the Traffic Division, which was the position she held when she was appointed to the bench in 2007.  In recognition of her prosecutorial career, she was honored in 2023 with the Robert Jackson Award for public service through her commitment to Justice as a prosecutor.  

Since her appointment, Judge O’Malley has presided over many courtrooms handling traffic, criminal, adoption, family and divorce matters just to name a few.  For the last 5 years, she has been assigned to a family law call consisting solely of Self-Represented Litigants (which she actually loves!).  She has used the time in her current assignment to hone her procedures to efficiently move a call that often times is quite challenging.

Celebrating Our Members: Awards and Achievements

Earl B. Dickerson Award from the Chicago Bar Association

Congratulations to IJA members Hon. Fredrick H. Bates, Circuit Court of Cook County, Hon. Judith C. Rice, Presiding Judge, Domestic Violence Division, Circuit Court of Cook County and Hon. John A. Fairman, Circuit Court of Cook County on their Earl B. Dickerson Award from the CBA, pictured here with IJA president Hon. Mary Colleen Roberts (Ret) at the awards ceremony.
This special award was established in honor of the late Earl B. Dickerson who was an outstanding lawyer and among the first African American members of The Chicago Bar Association. His life and professional career were devoted to the law and helping others gain equality and justice. In this spirit, The Chicago Bar Association established the Dickerson Award to recognize and honor minority lawyers and judges whose careers at the bar emulate the courage and dedication of Dickerson in making the law the key to justice for all in our society

 

The Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI) honored four outstanding Illinois Judges Association members with the Mary H Hooton award at the WBAI Judicial Reception on March 6, 2025. 
Judges Patricia Sheehan, Judith Rice and Diann Marsalek along with Justice Mary K Rochford accepted this award which is a testament to their exceptional leadership, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to advancing the cause of women lawyers. Their dedication and achievements serve as an inspiration to us all, and we are incredibly proud to have them as members of our association.

Please join me in congratulating Judges Patricia Sheehan, Diann Marsalek, Judith Rice and Justice Mary K Rochford on this well-deserved recognition. Their accomplishments not only highlight their individual excellence but also reflect the collective strength and progress of our community.

 

ROBES AND SNEAKERS

 

 

Champaign County judges participated in the IJA Robes & Sneakers event to raise awareness and support for cancer fighting research and initiatives. We “fined” ourselves for each day we wore sneakers and collectively contributed $900.00, which will be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

From left to right, pictured are Judges Randy Rosenbaum, Ramona Sullivan, Jason Bohm, Rob Jacobson, Roger Webber, Anna Benjamin, and Matt Lee.