Overview
- Theis’ retirement takes effect Jan. 29, 2026, shortening a 10-year term that had been set to run through 2032.
- Sanjay T. Tailor will fill the seat beginning Jan. 30, becoming the first Asian American to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court.
- Tailor brings 23 years on the bench across trial and appellate courts, with prior service as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney and in private practice.
- Theis has served since 1983 across every level of Illinois courts, joined the Supreme Court in 2010, and was chief justice from 2022 to 2025.
- Her notable opinions include the 2023 ruling upholding the SAFE-T Act’s end to cash bail and a 2012 decision in People v. Wrice, while Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul praised her leadership.