Illinois Supreme Court justice vacancy (January 2026)
| Illinois Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Theis vacancy |
| Date: January 29, 2026 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Sanjay Tailor |
| Date: January 12, 2026 |
Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis retired on January 29, 2026. The same day she released her retirement letter, January 12, 2026, the Illinois Supreme Court announced her replacement, Sanjay Tailor.[1]
In Illinois, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the Illinois Supreme Court is responsible for appointing an interim justice. If a justice is appointed more than 60 days before the next primary election, the justice must run in a partisan election in the next general or judicial election to remain on the court. The appointed justice's term will end on the first Monday in December after their election. If a justice is appointed less than 60 days before the next primary election, the justice will have to run in a partisan election to remain on the court in the second general election. The appointed justice's term will end on the first Monday in December after their election[2]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Illinois Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2026.
The appointee
- See also: Sanjay Tailor
Education
Tailor earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Delaware, and a J.D. from the Loyola University of Chicago School of Law.[3]
Career
- 2021-Present: At-Large Judge, Cook Judicial Circuit Court
- 2004-Present: Adjunct Professor, Loyola University of Chicago School of Law
- 2003-2021: Associate judge, Cook Judicial Circuit Court
- 1996-2003: Assistant State’s Attorney, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office
- 2001-2003: Deputy Supervisor, Torts and Civil Rights Litigation Section
- 1995-1996: Senior attorney, First National Bank of Chicago
- 1991-1995: Associate, Chapman and Cutler LLP[3]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Illinois
In Illinois, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Illinois Supreme Court
Justices
Following Theis' retirement, the Illinois Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Joy Cunningham | Appointed by Gov. Illinois Supreme Court () in 2022 | |
| ■ P. Scott Neville | Appointed by Gov. Illinois Supreme Court () in 2018 | |
| ■ Elizabeth M. Rochford | Elected in 2022 | |
| ■ Mary Kay O'Brien | Elected in 2022 | |
| ■ Lisa Holder White | Appointed by Gov. Illinois Supreme Court () in 2022 | |
| ■ David K. Overstreet | Elected in 2020 |
About the court
Founded in 1818, the Illinois Supreme Court is the state's highest court and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is P. Scott Neville.
As of December 2022, five judges on the court were Democrats and two judges were Republicans.
The court meets in the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield, Illinois on the second Monday in September, November, January, March, and May.[4]
In Illinois, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
About Justice Theis
- See also: Mary Jane Theis
Theis was born in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Loyola University in 1971 with a bachelor's degree. She then received her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law in 1974.[5]
Theis was appointed to the Illinois Cook Judicial Circuit Court as an associate judge and served for 10 years. She was appointed to the Illinois First District Appellate Court in 1993. She was on the court for 17 years and served as presiding judge and chairwoman of the Committee on Judicial Education and the Committee on Judicial Conduct of the Illinois Judicial Conference. She was appointed to the state supreme court in 2010.[5]
Theis also served as president of the Appellate Lawyers Association, the Illinois Judges Association, and the Illinois Judges Foundation. She received the Illinois Judges Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award.[5]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2026
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2026
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2026. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2025.
| 2026 State Supreme Court Vacancies |
|---|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Supreme Court of Illinois, "JUSTICE MARY JANE THEIS ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT - JUSTICE SANJAY TAILOR TO FILL VACANCY," January 12, 2026
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedILselect - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedappt - ↑ Illinois Courts, "Supreme Court," accessed September 8, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Illinois Courts, "Mary Jane Theis," accessed July 2, 2021
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois
State courts:
Illinois Supreme Court • Illinois Appellate Court • Illinois Circuit Court
State resources:
Courts in Illinois • Illinois judicial elections • Judicial selection in Illinois
| |||||||
