In a surprise announcement, Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke said Monday she is stepping down from the state’s top court effective Nov. 30 — just weeks after a general election with two other seats on the court in play.
The retirement comes a year before her husband, Ald. Ed Burke (14th), is scheduled to stand trial on federal racketeering, bribery and extortion charges.
Anne Burke’s term will end Oct. 25, with her last day on the bench on Nov. 30.
Justice Mary Jane Theis has been selected to serve as the court’s next chief justice, the Illinois Supreme Court also announced on Monday. An installation ceremony will be held in November. First District Appellate Justice Joy V. Cunningham will fill the vacancy created by Anne Burke’s departure.
“I have been blessed to serve as a Supreme Court Justice for the past 16 years and have loved working with my staff, colleagues and Judicial Branch staff to serve the people of Illinois,” Anne Burke said in a statement. “The past three years as Chief Justice have been a challenging time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I am thrilled with the progress made by the Illinois Courts.”
Anne Burke has served as chief justice since 2019. She has served on the court since 2006 and was selected by the other justices to serve as the leading justice for a three-year term that began in late October 2019. Anne Burke won her first 10-year term in 2008 and another in 2018; she represents the 1st District, which covers Cook County.
While Democrats have controlled the state Supreme Court since 1969, Republican are aiming to change that with two seats on the ballot this November. Republican victories could change the court at a high-stakes time as abortion, gun control and union rights remain in the forefront.
Cunningham became a justice of the appellate court in 2006. She is a former general counsel to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the hospital’s foundation, a former associate general counsel for Loyola University of Chicago and Loyola University Health System and a former Cook County Circuit judge.
Cunningham will be the second Black woman to serve on the state’s high court. Appellate Justice Lisa Holder White was appointed in March to succeed Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman.
Anne Burke is also a founder of the Special Olympics, along with Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Anne Burke was 23 and a physical education teacher for the Chicago Park District when she helped organize the first event in 1968. After the first games, Shriver and the Kennedy Foundation took over operations of the Special Olympics.
Ald. Ed Burke, 78, is scheduled to go on trial in November of 2023. If he chooses to seek reelection to a record 15th term next year — which includes the two-year term served after a special election to fill the vacancy created by Joseph Burke’s death — he will have to win in a redrawn ward that counts 87% of its voting age population as Latino, up from 81%.
