(WAND) - The Illinois Supreme Court has chose Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr. as the 123rd Chief Justice.
Neville will be the second Black Chief Justice in Illinois history, following the late Justice Charles E. Freeman, who served from 1997 to 1999.
His three-year term starts October 26, 2025.
Chief Justice Neville said public trust in the courts "requires justice that is accessible, procedures that are understandable, and support services that meet the needs of litigants."
"I will also work to make the Illinois courts a national model, safeguarding the constitutional promise of equal justice without regard to who a person is, where they live, or what resources they have so all litigants are seen and heard."
Chief Justice Neville started his legal career as the first Black law clerk for a Cook County Appellate Justice. He practiced civil rights and appellate law and prosecuted the 1992 Chicago Ward "Re-Map" case with two well-known attorneys, former Appellate Court Justice R. Eugene Pincham and former President Barack Obama.
He became a Cook County Circuit Court Judge in 1999, an Appellate Court Justice in 2004, and an Illinois Supreme Court justice in 2018.
As Chief Justice, his duties include overseeing the administration of the Illinois courts and more than 900 judges, supervising appointments to Supreme Court committees, leading the Illinois Judicial Conference, and presenting the Court's annual budget to the General Assembly.
An installation ceremony will be held October 24 in Chicago.
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