SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A long-serving justice on the Illinois State Supreme Court and described as a “trailblazer” is retiring.
The court says Justice Rita Garman will retire July 7th. She’s been on the state’s highest court since 2001, having graduated law school in 1968.
Garman says in a news release she’s had “the role of a lifetime,” and has served the people in the state’s legal system “at every level.”
“But this is, the right time for me to step back from my public role and allow someone else to assume this all-important position,” said Garman, in a news release. “Thank you for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Illinois.”
Garman, a native of Aurora and who served a term as Chief Justice, is 78.
The Supreme Court, which says it has the Constitutional authority to do this, is appointing Fourt District Appellate Justice Lisa Holder White to replace Garman until December of 2024.
White, a Decatur-area resident, will become the first Black woman on the court.
CLICK HERE to read Garman’s full statement (PDF document).
