Judge Cynthia Y. Cobbs receives new appointment

The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Judge Cynthia Y. Cobbs to the Cook County Circuit Court countywide vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Barbara A. McDonald. The appointment is effective November 30, 2012 and expires on December 1, 2014.

At the time of this new appointment, Judge Cobbs was serving by appointment to the countywide Simmons, Jr. vacancy. (Jessica A. O'Brien has been elected to this vacancy and will take office next week.) In appointing Judge Cobbs to the McDonald vacancy, the Illinois Supreme Court terminated Cobbs' appointment to the Simmons, Jr. vacancy.

Before her first appointment to the bench in 2011, Judge Cobbs served as Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.

Judge Cobbs has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland. She worked for several years in Maryland in a clinical setting helping abused and neglected children before turning to the law.

Cobbs started her legal career in 1989 as a law clerk, and later chief law clerk, to Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Freeman. She joined the AOIC in 1997, becoming Chief Legal Counsel for the Administrative Office within two years. Cobbs was initially appointed Director of the AOIC in March 2002. Cobbs served under five Chief Justices, the second longest tenure in that office since it was established in 1960.