Mary Jane Theis | |
|---|---|
 2010 portrait | |
| Chief Justice of theIllinois Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office October 26, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Anne M. Burke |
| Justice of theIllinois Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office October 26, 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Fitzgerald |
| Justice of theIllinois 1st District Appellate Court | |
| In office 1993 – October 2010 | |
| Judge of theCook County Circuit Court | |
| In office 1988–1993 | |
| Associate Judge of the Cook County Circuit Court | |
| In office 1983–1988 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mary Jane Wendt (1949-02-27)February 27, 1949 (age 76) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | John Theis |
| Relatives | Ken Wendt (father) |
| Education | Loyola University Chicago (BA) University of San Francisco (JD) |
Mary Jane Theis (born February 27, 1949) is a justice of theIllinois Supreme Court for the First Judicial District inCook County. In 2022, she became chief justice after the retirement of then-chief justiceAnne M. Burke.
She was born Mary Jane Wendt inChicago to Eleanore andKenneth Wendt, a member of theIllinois General Assembly and a longtime judge in Cook County.[1][2][3] She is a member of theDemocratic Party.[4]
She received her bachelor's degree fromLoyola University Chicago and herJuris Doctor from theUniversity of San Francisco School of Law.
Theis was assistantpublic defender in Cook County from 1974 to 1983.[5]
Theis became a judge in 1983, serving as an associate judge in theCook County Circuit Court from 1983 to 1988, a full judge in the circuit court from 1988 to 1994, and state appellate court judge from 1993 to 2010.[5] From December 1997 until December 1998, Theis additionally served as president of theIllinois Judges Association.[6]
In 2010, Theis was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to fill a vacancy on its bench, taking office October 26, 2010.[7] She won a full term in a partisan election in2012.[8] In the general election,Chicago Tribune endorsed her for election to a full term, citing her "universally accepted expertise on judicial ethics,family law, sentencing, fairness."[9] She previously served as chair for the Illinois Judicial Conference's Committees on Education and Judicial Conduct, as well as on the Illinois Supreme Court's rules committee.[10] In September 2022, she was named chief justice after the retirement of then-chief justiceAnne M. Burke, effective October 26, 2022.[11]
Theis has taught at law schools in Chicago (Loyola University School of Law,Northwestern University School of Law, and theJohn Marshall Law School) and at Illinois and Chicago bar association conferences and seminars.[12]
Awards which Theis has received include a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Judges Association, the Mary Heftel Hooten Award from the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, and the Access to Justice Award from the Illinois State Bar Association.[12]
Theis is married to John T. Theis, and they have two children and seven grandchildren.[5]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Justice of theIllinois Supreme Court 2010–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by | Chief Justice of theIllinois Supreme Court 2022–present | |
Statewide political officials ofIllinois | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
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| Supreme Court | ||