Beyond the Bench is a monthly feature to get to know more about judges and justices in the Illinois Courts, beyond their legal duties.
Name: Demetrios Panoushis
Title: Associate Judge
Circuit or Judicial District: 18th
Judicial Circuit, DuPage County
What was your first job? Could anything that you learned from that job be applied to your current position?
My first real job was working at my family’s restaurant. Throughout my teens, I worked many different positions including helping in the kitchen, car valet, and stocking inventory. I learned to work quickly but efficiently and to always be courteous to the public. Good qualities that I try to adhere to every day as a judge.
Which U.S. states have you visited? Do you have a favorite?
California, Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, North and South Carolina, Virgina, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Nevada, Colorado, Virginia, Oregon, and Washington. I believe it’s currently a toss-up between Tennessee and Arizona as favorite visited state.
What is one book you wish you could read again for the first time?
The Shining, by Stephen King. A true classic horror story.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Hypocrisy.
When you reflect on your career, what accomplishment are you most proud of?
Attending law school at night while maintaining a full-time job was quite an arduous task for me. It is something that I am very proud of because it taught me to identify what is most important and to maintain a good balance in my life.