Raylene DeWitte Grischow was born in Kewanee, Illinois. She earned a B.S. degree in political science from Illinois State University and a J.D. degree from Washington University School of Law. Prior to taking the bench, Justice Grischow was a civil trial attorney and practiced complex civil litigation with the law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. While in private practice, Justice Grischow served on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility, having been appointed to the position by retired Supreme Court Justice Rita B. Garman.
Justice Grischow was appointed resident circuit judge in the Seventh Judicial Circuit by the Supreme Court in 2019. She was elected in 2020. Justice Grischow’s docket on the circuit court consisted of both criminal felony and complex civil litigation. While on the circuit court she oversaw the Veteran’s Treatment Court and presided over that court until her assignment to the Appellate Court in 2024.
Justice Grischow is a member of the Illinois Judge’s Association and is active in the Central Illinois Women’s Bar Association and the Sangamon County Bar Association. Justice Grischow is a former member of the Lincoln-Douglas Inn of Court and Illinois State Bar Association.