Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Gerald V. Cleary as a Cook County Circuit Judge in the 10th Subcircuit.

Judge Cleary was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Donald J. Suriano, who is retiring on Nov. 2, 2016.

The appointment takes effect Nov. 3, 2016 and will terminate on Dec. 3, 2018, when the position will be filled by the 2018 General Election.

"I thank Justice Theis and her committee for giving me the opportunity to continue to serve the people of Cook County," Judge Cleary said. "I am honored and humbled to be selected to serve as a judge. I will work diligently to apply the law in a fair and just manner."

Judge Cleary is currently serving as a Cook County Circuit Judge in the First Municipal District. He has been handling jury and bench trials in civil matters and has received stellar reviews from his superiors and colleagues on the bench.

Justice Theis recommended Judge Cleary's appointment after candidates were reviewed by bar associations and a special judicial screening committee for a previous 10th Subcircuit vacancy. Judge Cleary has received qualified or recommended ratings from a dozen bar groups.

Prior to his judicial appointment, Judge Cleary was a civil trial attorney with over 25 years of experience litigating complex civil and commercial disputes for Fortune 500 corporations, aviation and trucking carriers, health care providers, insurance companies and municipalities. He has extensive experience handling product liability, transportation, civil rights, class action, employment, commercial and insurance claims.

Judge Cleary has successfully tried over 25 cases to jury verdict and handled hundreds of mediations and arbitrations. His entire career was in Cook County where he was a founding partner at Smith Amundsen and, most recently, his own firm, Pappas O’Connor.

Judge Cleary graduated cum laude from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago. He received his Bachelor of Arts, also cum laude, from the University of Illinois-Champaign, where he majored in political science with a minor in economics. 

He has numerous professional licenses including his admission to the Illinois Bar in 1989, admission to the U.S. District Courts for Northern Illinois, Northern Indiana and the Central District of Illinois.

Judge Cleary resides in Glenview with his wife, Patricia, and their four children.