Justice Joy V. Cunningham and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Michael Cabonargi as an At-Large Circuit Judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Mr. Cabonargi is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Mary Ellen Coglan. Mr. Cabonargi’s appointment is effective June 13, 2025, and will conclude on December 7, 2026.
Mr. Cabonargi most recently served as Regional Director of the Great Lakes Region (Region V) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), responsible for Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and 34 indigenous tribal nations. From 2011 to 2022 he served as a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review, which is tasked with fairly and impartially reviewing the assessments of all property within Cook County. From 2005 to 2011 Mr. Cabonargi was a senior attorney and prosecutor in the Division of Enforcement at the Chicago Regional Office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition to prior work as an attorney at Bell, Boyd and Lloyd, LLC, Mr. Cabonargi served as law clerk to United States District Court Judge William J. Hibbler in Chicago from 2000 to 2002.
Mr. Cabonargi earned his Bachelor of Arts from Miami University of Ohio and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law.
His professional affiliations include the Loyola Academy Bar Association, the District 39 Educational Foundation, and the Milan Committee of Chicago’s Sister Cities Program.