June 26, 2019

Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Tyria B. Walton as a Cook County Circuit Judge in the First Judicial Subcircuit.

The appointment is effective June 25, 2019, and will conclude on December 7, 2020, following the November 2020 general election.

“You have shaped a noble and honorable life by your commitment to the needs and rights of others; by your love of the law; and by your willingness to safeguard the liberty and freedoms which have made this nation great," Justice Burke said during the June 25th swearing-in ceremony for Walton held before a packed courtroom. "I am confident that, as you enter into this new chapter of your life, your actions will lift us to new measures of admiration.”

Ms. Walton has served for over 20 years as an Assistant Public Defender in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender, with a primary focus in First Degree Murder defense. Over the past year, she has won her clients six not guilty verdicts in murder trials.

Justice Burke recommended Ms. Walton's appointment after candidates were reviewed by bar associations and a special judicial screening committee. Ms. Walton received qualified or recommended ratings from a dozen bar groups. The special judicial screening committee is chaired by Kevin M. Forde, Esq.

Ms. Walton earned her Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her Juris Doctor from the Loyola University School of Law.

Her professional associations include the Illinois State Bar Association, the Capital Litigation Trial Bar, the Cook County Bar Association, the Civil Rights Black Women Lawyers Association, and the Community Service National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

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(FOR MORE INFORMATION OR PHOTOS FROM THE SWEARING-IN, CONTACT: Chris Bonjean, Communications Director to the Illinois Supreme Court at 312.793.2323 or cbonjean@illinoiscourts.gov.)