In separate orders entered yesterday, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Araceli R. De La Cruz to the countywide vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Joan Margaret O'Brien and also appointed Cook County Associate Judge Thomas M. Donnelly to the countywide vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Sharon Sullivan.
The De La Cruz appointment is effective January 6. Donnelly's appointment is effective December 8. Both appointments expire on December 5, 2022, when the persons elected to these vacancies in the 2022 election will be sworn in.
Both appointments were made by the Supreme Court on the recommendation of Justice Mary Jane Theis. According to the press release issued by the Supreme Court yesterday, Justice Theis recommended these appointments following a review of applicants by a 14-person screening committee consisting of judges, lawyers, and Cook County community members. The Hon. Wayne Andersen (Ret.) and the Hon. Patricia Holmes (Ret.) served as Co-Chairs for the screening committee. The additional members were James Botana, the Hon. David Coar (Ret.), Mary Dempsey, Leynee Cruz Flores, John Gallo, Denise Kane, Beth Kaveny, Mike Monico, Michael Rothstein, Sister Cathy Ryan, Richard Waris, and Mark Wojcik.
Justice Theis's newly reconstituted screening committee was announced by the Court on Thursday. (Click here for FWIW's coverage of that announcement.)
"I am greatly honored and humbled by this opportunity to serve," De La Cruz said, according to yesterday's statement from the Supreme Court. "It is an incredible privilege to do so on behalf of the people of Cook County and I am profoundly grateful to Justice Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court for their confidence in me."
According to the Supreme Court's press release, De La Cruz has over 20 years of experience in law in a variety of important roles. She most recently has spent 5 years as General Counsel/Chief Administrative Officer at Acero Schools of Chicago. Before joining Acero, she served for two years as the Chief of General Prosecutions for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s Division of Professional Regulation.
De La Cruz was slated by the Cook County Democratic Party for a countywide vacancy in 2020, but fell short of the Democratic nomination in a three person race. She was one of the 39 Circuit Court hopefuls who presented credentials at the Democratic Party's pre-slating meeting this past October.
From 2009 to 2014, according to the Supreme Court's press release, De La Cruz served in three different roles for the Chicago Transit Authority, first as Chief of Safety and Security Compliance, then as Deputy Chief of Staff, and finally as Chief Safety and Security Officer, Senior Vice President, where she managed a department of over 45 safety, security and compliance professionals who were charged with the oversight of bus and rail transit system safety. And from 2001 to 2009 she served as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, prosecuting hundreds of criminal matters via case review, indictment, motion practice, jury trials, bench trials and settlement conferences.
De La Cruz earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and her Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School, where she was a recipient of the Elmer Kissane Award. Her professional associations include the Chicago Bar Association, the Hispanic Lawyer’s Association of Illinois, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, and the Woman’s Bar Association.
In the Supreme Court's press release announcing his appointment, Judge Thomas M. Donnelly is quoted as saying, "I am honored that the Illinois Supreme Court has appointed me to serve the citizens of Cook County as a Circuit Judge. As always, I will perform my duties to the best of my abilities and attempt to live up to this honor. This appointment by the Illinois Supreme Court affirms my work and dedication as an Associate Judge for the past 19 years and I appreciate the Court’s confidence in my judicial service."
According to the Supreme Court's announcement, Donnelly has served as an Associate Judge of Cook County since 2000 and is currently assigned to the Law Division where he hears civil jury trials. He has tried over 300 jury trials and over 1,000 bench trials in his time on the bench. Prior to joining the bench, Donnelly clerked for Justice Mary Ann G. McMorrow and served as an assistant public defender for 13 years.
Donnelly served on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Pretrial Practices from its inception until its final report and was an appointed judicial representative on the Statutory Court Fee Task Force. He currently sits on the Illinois Judicial College Board of Trustees with a term expiring in 2023 and serves as liaison to the Committee on Judicial Education. From 2016 to 2019, he served as the inaugural chair of the Illinois Judicial College Board, and currently serves on the Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee. He has chaired both the Chicago Bar Association Professional Responsibility Committee and the Illinois State Bar Association Standing Committee on Professional Conduct.
Donnelly also appeared before the Cook County Democratic Party's October pre-slating meeting. Rumors about his probabe appointment, now verified by events, have circulated since that time. Those rumors were mentioned, but only obliquely, on FWIW.
Donnelly earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s College and his Juris Doctor from the Loyola University School of Law. He has taught at Loyola since 1987 where he currently teaches Illinois Civil Litigation Practice and additionally serves on the faculty of the National Judicial College where he teaches hundreds of judges around the country.
Judge Donnelly’s awards include the Hon. Mary Ann G. McMorrow Distinguished Service Award from the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, the Impact Award from the Center for Disability and Elder Law, and the Harold Sullivan Award (named for Judge Sharon Sullivan's father) from the Illinois Judges Association.
How is he going to campaign without a driver’s license? Even my teenager has one!
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about whether Judge Donnelly has a driver's license.
ReplyDeleteIn general, however, I have observed that many judicial candidates, especially those seeking countywide vacancies, engage a driver to get them from event to event. I'm not talking limos here; usually, it's a younger relative or close friend who handles this chore. For a candidate to get to two or three events in a single evening, often at opposite ends of the county, and still be as glib and chipper as a candidate should be, it helps to let someone else drive -- and look, where necessary, for parking.
Thus, a candidate would not necessarily be handicapped because he or she did not have a driver's license.