Veteran Democratic Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville will begin a three-year term next month as the high court’s chief justice, replacing Mary Jane Theis as she completes her term as head of the court, officials with the high court said Tuesday.

Neville was chosen by his peers to begin his term as chief justice on Oct. 26 as Theis returns to being a regular justice on the panel. The two justices are among five Democrats on the high court who comprise its 5-2 Democratic majority. Theis is finishing up her three-year stint as head of the court after taking the position in 2022.

Neville was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2018 and was elected to a 10-year term in 2020. In his time on the high court, he’s heard some high-profile cases, including a challenge to the state’s ban

See Full Page