Illinois Supreme Court appoints Katharine Hatch as Judge in Nineteenth Judicial Circuit

Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Katharine Hatch as a Circuit Judge in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Third Subcircuit.

Ms. Hatch is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Charles W. Smith, effective Aug. 31, 2026. The appointment is effective November 9, 2026, and will conclude on December 4, 2028.

Ms. Hatch has over 20 years of legal experience. She most recently practiced as a family law and criminal defense attorney as owner of the Law Offices of Katharine S. Hatch, Ltd., after previously working at Steiner Howeth Pasquesi & Hatch, Ltd. Prior to this, she served for 15 years as an Assistant Public Defender in Lake County. In 2023, Ms. Hatch was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Illinois Committee on Character and Fitness for the 2^nd District.

Ms. Hatch earned her bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College and her Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Her professional affiliations include Lake County Bar Association, where she previously served as President, and she currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Village of Lake Bluff.

The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit covers the entirety of Lake County.