Blog Post

Rita B. Garman began her law career at the Vermilion County Legal Aid Society. She was then hired to handle family law cases in the State’s Attorney’s Office, and in 1973 joined the firm of Sebat, Swanson, Banks, Lessen & Garman. In 1974, Garman became the first female judge in the Fifth Judicial Circuit, after being appointed to the associate judge position, and she would serve that role for twelve years. She was elected Circuit Judge in 1986, which was also the first time a woman would hold the position, which she held until 1995. She was Presiding Judge in Vermilion County for most of her tenure. After her time as a Circuit Judge, Garman was assigned to the Fourth District Appellate Court, being the first woman to hold the position, which she was elected in 1996 on her own term. Garman was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2001, being elected to a ten-year term in 2002, and retaining a second term in 2012, serving as Chief Justice from 2013 to 2016. Garman has served at every level of the Illinois judiciary and is the first chief justice to have done so: associate judge, circuit judge, presiding circuit judge, appellate justice, presiding appellate justice, supreme court justice, and chief justice. At the time of this interview, she is the second longest serving judge in Illinois and the longest serving female judge. She served on the Illinois Supreme Court until 2022.

Judge Rita B. Garman: An Oral History