Linda E. Davenport was born in Iowa and raised in Illinois. She attended Lyons Township High School in La Grange and graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder, with a B.A. degree in Communication and a minor in Radio and Television Broadcasting. She earned her J.D. in 1978 from DePaul University College of Law and is a graduate of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy Master’s Program. Before her appointment to the bench, she managed a small civil practice law firm. From 2006 to 2022, she served as an Associate Judge and then as a Circuit Judge for the 18th Judicial Circuit Court. Judge Davenport was appointed to the Third District Appellate Court in December 2022.

Judge Davenport has served as Wheaton City Councilwoman, President of the DuPage County Bar Association, and Hearing Board Member and Chair for the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. Judge Davenport is a genealogy enthusiast and enjoys conversing in Italian. She and her husband have three adult children and three grandchildren.