On May 22, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans elevated five Cook County acting presiding judges to the position of presiding judges in their respective divisions.
The newest presiding judges include the Hon. Donna L. Cooper of the Juvenile Division; the Hon. Sophia H. Hall of the Chancery Division; the Hon. Mary Cay Marubio of the Pretrial Division; the Hon. Judith C. Rice of the Domestic Violence Division; and the Hon. Regina Scannicchio of the Domestic Relations Division.
Marubio and Rice are members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Marubio was named acting presiding judge of the Pretrial Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County on Jan. 27, 2023, and was tasked with working with the chief judge’s office and the other presiding judges to help facilitate the smooth implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act. Marubio has been a judge in the Pretrial Division since its creation in 2017, and has been a supervising judge since November 2021. Appointed an associate judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2016, she was initially assigned to the First Municipal District and then the Domestic Relations Division. She was elected a circuit judge in 2020.
Rice was named acting presiding judge of the Domestic Violence Division on Dec. 23, 2021. Before starting on the bench in 2014, she served in executive positions at BMO Harris Bank, most recently as senior vice president and head of community affairs and economic development. She also has served as a prosecutor with the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and as an assistant corporation counsel for the City of Chicago. She was elected Chicago City Treasurer after serving as the first female commissioner of two key city agencies: the Department of Water from 1996 until 1999, and the Department of Transportation during 1999-2000.
All appointments are effective immediately.
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