Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Joanne Rosado as a Circuit Judge in the Eleventh Subcircuit of Cook County.

Ms. Rosado was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Kathleen Kennedy.

The appointment takes effect January 20, 2016 and will terminate on Dec. 3, 2018, when the position will be filled by the 2018 General Election.

"I am honored and humbled by the Supreme Court's appointment and I thank them for this opportunity as well as the support of my family and friends," Ms. Rosado said. "I look forward to serving on the bench."

Ms. Rosado has been an Assistant Public Defender with the Cook County Public Defender's Office since 2002. She has worked in the Child Protection Division, Felony Trial Division and the Multiple Defendant Division. Concurrent to that, She was a sole practitioner in Rosemont from 2002-2010.

Justice Theis recommended Ms. Rosado's appointment after candidates were reviewed by bar associations and a special judicial screening committee. She has received qualified or recommended ratings from a dozen bar groups.

Ms. Rosado received her Juris Doctor from the John Marshall School of Law, where she was on the Dean's List and a member of Phi Delta Phi. She received her Bachelor of Arts, also making Dean's List, from DePaul University.

Her professional associations include the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, Puerto Rican Bar Association and the Hispanic Lawyers Association.