Cook County Circuit Court Judge Judith C. Rice is seeking a seat on the Illinois Appellate Court for the 1st District. The Nov. 3, 2026, general election will fill the Hoffman Vacancy for the rest of an unexpired term.

Rice, a Democrat, is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady. The 1st District of the Illinois Appellate Court covers Cook County, which includes the North Shore communities of Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield. Appellate court judges hear appeals from circuit court decisions across the district.

If elected, Rice would become the first openly lesbian appellate court justice in Illinois, according to her Wikipedia biography.

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 began as a victim/witness assistant at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in 1982. After earning her law degree, she worked as a prosecutor at the State's Attorney's Office, according to the American Bar Association, and as an assistant to the Illinois attorney general, according to her Wikipedia biography.

She held several positions in Chicago city government under Mayor Richard M. Daley, including assistant corporation counsel, director of administrative adjudication, director of the Department of Revenue, executive assistant to the mayor, and the first woman to serve as commissioner of the Department of Water and head of the Department of Transportation. Rice served as Chicago city treasurer from November 2000 through December 2006 and then as deputy mayor.

She later joined BMO Harris Bank as senior vice president and director of government relations, community affairs and economic development.

Rice won election to the Cook County Circuit Court in December 2014. Voters retained her in November 2020 with 78.3% yes votes. On the bench, she has served in the Domestic Relations Division and as presiding judge of the Domestic Violence Division.

In that role, Rice launched the After Hours Emergency Order of Protection Pilot in September 2022. The program enables domestic violence survivors to receive orders of protection outside regular court business hours, according to the American Bar Association. In August 2024, she received the ABA 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 has also served on the advisory board of the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center.

Endorsements

Rice has received the following endorsements, as claimed by the endorsers and reported by BallotReady:

  • AFL-CIO
  • Cook County Democrats

North Shore Weekly did not interview the candidate for this profile. Information is drawn from publicly available sources including BallotReady, the American Bar Association, the Illinois Courts website and Wikipedia. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this race.