The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the assignment of Cook County Circuit Judge David R. Navarro to the First District Appellate Court. Judge Navarro is being assigned to fill the vacancy created by the assignment of Justice Mary Mikva to the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Maureen Connors. Judge Navarro will be assigned all matters previously assigned to Justice Connors. The assignment is effective February 6, 2023, and will continue until further order of the Court. 

“Judge Navarro has been a leader at the circuit court since his appointment in 2017 and has continued that in the Pretrial Division,” Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said. “He brings a wealth of experience and is an excellent addition to the appellate court.” 

Judge Navarro was appointed to the Cook County Circuit Court as a Judge in the Fourth Subcircuit in May 2017, and won election in 2018. He was named Supervising Judge of the Pretrial Division in January 2020, and was named Acting Presiding Judge of the Pretrial Division in November 2021. He currently sits on the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee as well as several Illinois Supreme Court Subcommittees. 

“My deepest thanks to the Illinois Supreme Court for this great honor,” Judge Navarro said. “I am humbled and look forward to serving the People in this new role.” 

Before joining the bench, Judge Navarro served as the Chief of the Public Integrity Bureau for the Office of the Illinois Attorney General from 2009 to 2017, and previously served in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office as an Assistant State's Attorney and Supervisor of the Professional Standards Unit. 

Judge Navarro earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Chicago and earned his juris doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law. 

He serves on the boards of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and the Illinois Latino Judges Association. He also serves as adjunct faculty at the Loyola University School of Law, and as a faculty instructor for the Conference Western of Attorneys General. He formerly served as an adjunct professor at The John Marshall Law School.