Judge Andrea M. Buford appointed Acting Presiding Judge of the Child Protection Division

Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans has appointed Judge Andrea M. Buford as Acting Presiding Judge of the Child Protection Division.

Buford replaces Judge Robert Balanoff in this role; Balanoff retired from the bench at the end of January.

In a press release issued in conjunction with the announcement of the appointment, Judge Evans said, "Judge Buford has a great deal of experience in this highly sensitive and vital division of the Cook County Circuit Court. She is known for her compassion, knowledge and hard work, and I am sure she will do an excellent job in her new position."

A lifelong Chicago resident, Judge Buford was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court in April 2013. She was elected to that same countywide vacancy in 2014 and was retained in 2020.

Judge Buford has also served as the Chair of the Special Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Courts and currently sits on the Supreme Court Committee on Equality, the Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility, and the Illinois Judicial College Committee on Guardians Ad Litem. She was recently invited to join the judicial subcommittee on the implementation of The Safe Model, a collaboration between the Department of Children and Family Services and the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts, to change the trajectory of cases and allow children to be returned home sooner with supportive services in place.

Before her elevation to the bench, Judge Buford focused her practice primarily on civil defense litigation, representing corporations and municipalities. She has served as president of the Cook County Bar Association, president of the Cook County Bar Association Foundation, President of the Illinois Judicial Council, and as Economic Development Chair for the NAACP. The recipient of numerous awards, Judge Buford was named one of the most influential Chicagoans by N’DIGO Magazine. She also served as a Commissioner on the Illinois Court of Claims, and as a Hearing Officer for the State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois State Board of Education. She was appointed Federal Foreclosure Commissioner, a Special Assistant Attorney General and a Special Assistant Corporation Counsel.

In that same press release, Judge Buford said she is grateful to Judge Evans for the new appointment: "I am honored that he has entrusted me with this most important assignment. Our Division is in a position to help our most vulnerable children and families. We have a chance to influence their future choices. I’m also inheriting a division of extremely competent and compassionate judges who understand the gravity of our position."

Judge Buford's predecessor as Presiding Judge, Judge Balanoff, had served as a circuit judge since 2004 (when he was elected to a 1st Subcircuit vacancy), and led the Child Protection Division since December of 2020.

"We will miss Judge Balanoff's tremendous experience as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County. He has been a wonderful colleague and friend. I wish him all the best in his next chapter," said Judge Evans.