West Cook News

Decatur-born Lisa Holder White joined the Illinois Supreme Court after taking the oath Thursday after the court appointed her to the position earlier this summer.

“Congratulations to Justice Lisa Holder White,” Cook County Commissioner Sean Morrison wrote on Facebook.

The Grio wrote Holder White started her career as an assistant state’s attorney in Macon County.

The justices of the Illinois Supreme Court. | Illinois Supreme Court/Twitter

Holder White has succeeded Justice Rita Garman on Illinois’ Supreme Court, making Holder White the first black woman to serve on the state’s highest court, Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“Being appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court is the honor of a lifetime," Holder White said to Chicago Sun-Times. "I am humbled by the confidence Justice Garman and the entire court have placed in me. My service to the judiciary for the past 21 years has helped prepare me for this historic moment. I look forward to the privilege of resolving matters my fellow citizens bring before the court.”

WTTW reported Holder White’s entering the court came after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson joined.

“I think it’s important to ensure that we have all perspectives and experiences represented,” Holder White said to WTTW. “The thing about it is on the Supreme Court, you have seven justices and each justice will bring with them their experiences, their professional background and everything that makes them who they are. And so when you combine all these perspectives, there may be something that based on your background, you’re not thinking about or doesn’t seem to be an issue, and someone else with a different background will bring that to you and bring that up, and, you know, I think that that is relevant to the decision, and so when we don’t have all those voices, when we don’t have those unique perspectives, we lose the benefit of that in making decisions.”

A release from the Illinois Courts said Holder White was sworn in at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield. She graduated with honors from Lewis University before earning her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law. 

After she served as an assistant state’s attorney in Macon County, she served as an assistant public defender while also practicing privately. In 2001, she became the first black judge on the Sixth Judicial Circuit, working as an assistant judge. She then went on to serve on the Illinois Appellate Court, Fourth District.

“It’s very exciting,” Holder White said to WTTW. “It makes me reflect on how fortunate I am and also to reflect on the fact that there were so many who came before me who didn’t have this opportunity.”

Ballotpedia wrote Holder White, a Republican, will serve on the state Supreme Court until at least December 2024, when her current term ends.