Wishing the best to Justice Theis as the Supreme Court welcomes Justice Tailor

By Marcia M. Meis, Director, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts

After a prolific 43-year career as a judge, Justice Mary Jane Theis will retire this week. Justice Theis has been a pillar of the Illinois legal profession since starting her career as an assistant public defender and capping it with her term as Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court from 2022-2025.

"I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to serve," Justice Theis said. "It has been my foremost goal to further the Court's mission of providing access to equal justice, ensuring judicial integrity and upholding the rule of law."

Justice Theis served on every level of the Illinois judiciary starting as an Associate Judge in 1983, a Circuit Judge in 1988, a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court in 1993, and Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court in 2010.

Justice Theis literally grew up in a courtroom, attending hearings overseen by her father, the late Judge Kenneth Wendt. She became a judge as the Greylord scandal was breaking and 17 Illinois judges ultimately were convicted of bribery. Her retirement letter made clear that this had a lasting impact.

Among her many accomplishments while serving on the high court, Justice Theis oversaw the establishment of the Illinois Courts Commission as an independent state agency to manage complaints against judges by the Judicial Inquiry Board - as intended by the Illinois Constitution. She referred to the Code of Judicial Conduct frequently with a reminder that it applies to all Illinois judges.

Anyone who knows Justice Theis knows that promoting judicial education is one of her core passions. She helped establish the Illinois Judicial College, which celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year. During her term as Chief Justice, the Judicial College continued to expand judicial education beyond judges to include justice partners to improve the level of service provided throughout the Judicial Branch.

Another hallmark of Justice Theis' storied career is the importance of procedural fairness. She made sure this concept - that the process of a judicial decision is as important as the decision itself - was cemented as a core principle of the Judicial College.

Justice Theis has spent the last 43 years - clearly for love of the game - encouraging the Illinois Judicial Branch to always pursue excellence and evolve with the times. We wish her the best in retirement and hope for many wonderful trips with her family.

With Justice Theis' retirement, we welcome a new member of the Illinois Supreme Court this Friday. Justice Sanjay Tailor has been a judge for 23 years, starting as an Associate Judge in 2003, becoming a Circuit Judge in 2021 and joining the Illinois Appellate Court in 2022.

"I look forward to continuing the work of the Illinois Supreme Court to ensure that our system of justice serves all people fairly and equitably," Justice Tailor said.

Like Justice Theis, Justice Tailor has been highly involved in the work of the Illinois Judicial Branch. Among other things, Justice Tailor is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Judicial College and is a Commissioner of the Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice.

In its role to serve and support the Court's administrative and supervisory authority over all courts, the AOIC looks forward to working with Justice Tailor as he joins his new colleagues on the Supreme Court under the direction of Chief Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr.