A former Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court and current Justice, Rita Garman, is announcing her retirement.
In a letter to her colleagues, sent Monday morning, Garman says she will retire from the court effective July 7.
For nearly five decades the 78 year old Garman has been a jurist at every level of our state’s court system.
Garman says when she decided to become a lawyer, there were no women on either the Illinois Supreme Court or the Illinois Appellate and very few women judges throughout the state.
Garman is not just the longest serving woman jurist in Illinois, but also the longest serving judge in the state.