Alumna Elected to Illinois Supreme Court
January 10, 2013
Hon. Mary Jane Theis, a 1974 graduate of the USF School of Law, was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court Nov. 6 with more than 75 percent of the vote.
Appointed to the court in 2010, she won the Democratic primary by a two-to-one margin in March.
Theis has served on Illinois’ courts since 1983 when she was appointed an associate judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County. She would later serve on the state’s First District Appellate Court.
“For nearly 30 years, people have called me ‘Your Honor.’ But the honor has been mine to serve the people of Illinois at every level of the judiciary,” she said. “Being a member of the Illinois Supreme Court is the culmination of my life’s work.”
Theis says that the most important role for a judge is to promote the public’s confidence in the integrity of the judiciary. She has taught judicial education programs and presented at conferences for the Illinois State Bar Association and numerous law schools.
She credits her USF legal education with preparing her for a judicial career.
“I am proud to be a graduate of the University of San Francisco School of Law,” Theis said. “My USF legal education prepared me well to be a lawyer and judge, but more importantly, it taught me the values of professionalism and service that have shaped my life in the law.”