Cook County Circuit Court Judge Judith C. Rice is running for the Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, to fill the Hoffman Vacancy. The seat fills an unexpired term.

Rice, a Democrat, is certified for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot, according to BallotReady. If elected, Rice would become the first openly lesbian appellate court justice in Illinois, according to her biography. The 1st District covers Cook County, which includes Park Ridge and Niles.

Candidate information

  • Party: Democratic
  • Born: July 30, 1957, in Chicago
  • Education: Bachelor of arts in communications, Loyola University Chicago (1981); juris doctor in law, John Marshall Law School, now UIC John Marshall Law School (1988)

Experience and public service

Rice has held a Cook County Circuit Court judgeship since December 2014. She was assigned to the Domestic Relations Division and later served as presiding judge of the Domestic Violence Division.

In that role, Rice launched the After Hours Emergency Order of Protection Pilot in September 2022, which enabled domestic violence survivors to receive orders of protection outside regular court hours, according to the American Bar Association.

In August 2024, Rice received the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence's Judith S. Kaye Award for "exemplary leadership developing courtroom responses to domestic and sexual violence issues," according to the Illinois Courts website.

Rice was retained to the 7th Subcircuit of the Cook County Circuit Court in the Nov. 3, 2020, retention election with 78.3% yes votes.

Before joining the bench, Rice held several Chicago government positions. She served as city treasurer from November 2000 to December 2006 and as deputy mayor from 2006 to 2007. She was the first woman to lead the Chicago Department of Transportation, starting in 1999, and the first female commissioner of the Chicago Department of Water, serving from 1996 to 1999. Earlier roles included executive assistant to Mayor Richard M. Daley, director of the Department of Revenue and director of administrative adjudication.

Rice also worked as a prosecutor at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office starting in 1988, as an assistant to the Illinois attorney general and as an assistant corporation counsel for the city of Chicago. She later held a private-sector role as senior vice president at BMO Harris Bank. She has served on the advisory board of the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center.

On the issues

No issue responses or policy positions from Rice were publicly available for this race.

Endorsements

Rice has received the following endorsements, according to BallotReady:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Cook County Democrats

Candidate profile information is drawn from publicly available sources including BallotReady, Wikipedia, the American Bar Association and the Illinois Courts website. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this profile.