Chicago: Indian American jurist Sanjay Tailor has been appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court, becoming the first Asian American to serve on the seven-member bench, according to a court announcement.
Tailor’s appointment will take effect at the end of January, filling the vacancy left by the retirement of Mary Jane Theis. He will serve through December 2028, when Cook County voters will decide whether to grant him a full 10-year term.
“I am grateful to Justice Mary Jane Theis and the other justices of the Illinois Supreme Court for their confidence and trust,” Tailor said, adding that he looks forward to continuing efforts to ensure the justice system serves all communities fairly and equitably.
Tailor brings more than two decades of judicial experience. He was first appointed as a Cook County associate judge in 2003 and served across the Municipal, Domestic Relations, Law, and Chancery divisions. In 2021, he was appointed an at-large circuit judge and later presiding judge of the County Division. Voters elected him as circuit judge from Cook County’s 9th Judicial Subcircuit in 2022, the same year he became an appellate court justice.
Before joining the bench, Tailor worked as an assistant state attorney, practiced at Chapman and Cutler, and served as in-house counsel at First National Bank of Chicago. A cum laude graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, he has taught civil procedure there since 2004.
He has also served on judicial reform and education bodies and held leadership roles in bar associations, including the Lawyers Club of Chicago and the Asian American Judges Association of Illinois.
The South Asian Bar Association of North America called the appointment historic, praising Tailor’s record of service and calling his elevation a meaningful step toward a judiciary that reflects the communities it serves.
