JUDGE MARGARET J. MULLEN (Ret.) TO BE INSTALLED AS PRESIDENT OF ILLINOIS JUDGES ASSOCIATION

     Margaret J. Mullen will be installed as President of the Illinois Judges Association during the annual meeting on May 31, 2019, at The John Marshall Law School, in Chicago. The Illinois Judges Association, which represents 1,250 active and retired Illinois state court judges, was founded in 1972 to provide services, support, and education to its member judges and raise public understanding of the Illinois judicial system.

     Judge Mullen has 26 years of experience on the bench in the 19th Judicial Circuit Court. She was appointed an Associate Judge in 1992, and selected as a Circuit Judge in 1997 by the Illinois Supreme Court, winning election in 1998. She was Chief Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit from 2002-2004, and served as Presiding Judge of the Law Division, the Juvenile Division, and the Consolidated Family Division. Judge Mullen, now retired, is a part-time mediator and adjunct professor. Her goal as President of IJA is to work hard on strengthening public awareness of the important role of the judiciary. “Judges are the best people I know. They’re smart, hard-working, and really care deeply about doing the right thing. It is a privilege to be entrusted with the decisions we make in court. Illinois’ judges are worthy of that privilege.”
 
     Judge Mullen was President of the Illinois Judges Foundation in 2010-2011. She was the recipient of the Salute Award from Lake County CASA in 2018 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lake County Juvenile Officers Association for her work as a judge in juvenile court. She has also been honoured with the Benedict J. Ori Award for Outstanding Service to the Community, the Partners Award from the Northern Illinois Council on Substance Abuse and Alcoholism, the Outstanding Volunteer Group Award from United Way for her volunteer efforts with Waukegan school children, and two Presidential Service Awards from IJA. She is a proud member of the Lake County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.
           
     The Illinois Judges Association will also install other new officers for 2019-20 at the annual meeting. They are: 1st Vice-President, Judge Diane Shelley, Cook County; 2nd Vice President, Judge Barbara Crowder, Retired Judge, Madison County; 3rd Vice President, Justice Eileen O’Neill Burke, 1st Appellate District; Secretary, Justice David Overstreet, 5th Appellate District and Treasurer, Judge Mary Colleen Roberts, Cook County.  For more information about the Illinois Judges Association, see www.ija.org.