The Illinois Supreme Court has selected the person who will replace former Chief Justice Rita Garman of Danville when she retires on July 7th. The Court has appointed Fourth District Appellate Justice Lisa Holder White to assume the position. Justice White’s term is effective July 8th, 2022 through December 2, 2024. She will be the first Black woman to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court.
‘’Rita has been my close friend, mentor, and a role model since I joined the bench in 2006,’’ said current Chief Justice Anne Burke. ‘’No words can describe her loss,’’ said Burke, ‘’however she has provided hope for the future by nominating for her replacement a wonderful woman who will be able to step right into her shoes.’’
‘’There is no doubt that I have had the role of a lifetime, a privilege to serve the people of the state of Illinois as a member of the court system at every level,’’ said Justice Garman. ‘’But this is the right time for me to step back from my public role and allow someone else to assume this all-important position.’’
Justice Holder-White, who is from Decatur, also feels that being appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court is the honor of a lifetime. ‘’I am humbled by the confidence Justice Rita B. Garman and the entire Court have placed in me.’’
Among numerous honors, Justice Garman was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Illinois Judges Association in 2007, was awarded the inaugural Harold Sullivan Award for Judicial Excellence in 2011, and was named the 2013 ‘Person of the Year’ by Chicago Lawyer Magazine. In 2017, the Vermilion County Courthouse was renamed the Rita B. Garman County Courthouse by the Vermilion County Board.
