2024 Gebhardt Speaker: Hon. Elizabeth M. Rochford

Illinois Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Rochford visited Illinois Wesleyan University on February 12, 2024. Her talk, “Cornerstones of Public Service: Integrity, Independence, and Transparency,” was part of the 2024 Gebhardt Speaker Series. 

Before she was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, Justice Elizabeth Rochford was the Associate Judge of Lake County. It was there that she was appointed to handle family law matters. She stated that she did not have a choice in being assigned to these cases, and they were considered to be the last place most new judges wanted to get assigned. However, she began to cherish the opportunities they granted. In her talk, Rochford focused on this part of her career because it was so galvanizing and impactful on her future career. She was able to have an immediate impact on families in crisis, especially children. It was also here that she learned of many disadvantages that marginalized people face in legal processes. Rochford wanted to elevate cases involving self-represented litigants (referred to in legal jargon as pro se) to an equal status with those represented by attorneys. She spent a year implementing many changes, including making the courtroom more accessible, hiring employees who could speak many languages, and making the legal teams use clear, plain language when talking to clients. 

Rochford saw many improvements with these methods, but also realized that she had been too focused on the operations inside the courtroom. She had lost sight of what happened to the litigants when they stepped foot beyond the courtroom. Rochford would often provide families with resources to give the families further information, such as websites and phone numbers. After about a year from the start of implementing these changes, she decided to investigate the resources herself. She tried to visit websites that were supposed to help families, and discovered many no longer existed. In addition, many of the calls she tried to make became disconnected. Finally, Rochford visited the Department of Health and Family Services, where she had sent many families to receive resources. During her visit, she realized the office was almost impossible to find and was inaccessible to public transportation. The typical wait was almost three hours, and the staff was unwelcoming. Worst of all, she had been sending parties there completely unprepared. They would be turned away because they didn’t have the proper documents. Rochford stated that, “planning done in a conference room, without any idea what the people you are serving are dealing with, is arrogant and ineffective.” 

Justice Rochford took the oath of office for the Illinois Supreme Court in December of 2022, after an 18-month campaign. She opened her discussion of the Court by stating that the current Court is the most diverse in Illinois’ history, with five women and three Black justices currently serving. While Justice Rochford still lives in Lake County for most of the year, the justices all live together on the third floor of the Supreme Court building while they are in term. They also sit together for every meal. Justice Rochford says that this allows them to see each other as human beings, and not just as opponents with differing views. This method was originally suggested for courts by Chief Justice John Marshall, and Illinois is the only state in the Union to follow this suggestion. 

In terms of how the Court operates while in term, each justice’s vote is counted in equal measure. Seniority determines the order in which they enter and exit the courtroom, and their seat is also determined by seniority. This is similar to when the justices are permitted to speak and vote, but in reverse. In these cases, the least senior justice goes first, so as not to be intimidated by the more experienced senior members. Additionally, Justice Rochford stated that she does not see any partisan pattern in the Court’s opinions.

Justice Rochford stated that she wants to extend an invitation to all of us to come to the courtroom while the IL Supreme Court is in term. The building has a new interactive learning center open to the public. The exhibit is called “You Be the Judge,” and it walks visitors through different court cases and lets them decide the right way to rule. This encourages articulate conversation between visitors. As a last remark, Justice Rochford stated that although she is new in her role and has a lot to learn, it is a privilege to be able to serve us.

By Sidney Draksler '27