Illinois Supreme Court Gets First Indian American Justice

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India-West News Desk

CHICAGO, IL – Sanjay T. Tailor will break new ground on January 30 when he steps onto the Illinois Supreme Court as the first Indian American justice in the court’s history. His appointment fills the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Mary Jane Theis and makes him the first Asian American to serve on the state’s highest court.

Tailor’s selection comes through Illinois’ constitutional process, which allows sitting justices to appoint interim replacements when a justice retires midterm. His current term runs through December 4, 2028, after which he would need to run for election from the First Judicial District to continue serving.

The appointment is the culmination of a 23-year judicial career that spans every level of the Illinois court system. Tailor has served as a trial judge, an appellate judge, and now a Supreme Court justice, giving him one of the broadest judicial resumes in the state.

Tailor began his judicial career in April 2003 as an associate judge on the Cook County Circuit Court, becoming one of the first Indian Americans on the county bench. Over the next two decades, he served across five divisions, gaining experience in a wide range of cases. In the Municipal Division, he handled tort, contract, collection, and traffic cases and helped create a help desk for litigants without attorneys. He later presided over divorce, parentage, and domestic violence cases in the Domestic Relations Division, then moved to the Law Division for commercial and tax disputes, and finally to the Chancery Division, where he oversaw complex litigation including class actions, injunctions, and corporate governance matters.

In January 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court elevated Tailor to circuit judge. He later became Presiding Judge of the County Division, overseeing cases involving mental health, adoption, property tax, elections, and civil asset forfeiture. Voters elected him to a full term in November 2022.

 Later that year, Tailor made history again when the Illinois Supreme Court assigned him to the First District Appellate Court, making him the first Indian American on the appellate bench. He served as presiding justice of his division during his tenure.

Tailor is also an experienced educator, teaching Illinois civil procedure at Loyola University Chicago School of Law since 2004. A cum laude graduate of Loyola, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware.

Beyond his judicial and academic work, Tailor holds numerous leadership roles. He is president of the Asian American Judges Association of Illinois, past president of the Lawyers Club of Chicago, a trustee of the Illinois Judicial College, commissioner on the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice, and trustee of the Judges Retirement System of Illinois.