The Illinois Supreme Court has announced today the appointment of Cook County Circuit Judge Celia G. Gamrath to the First District Appellate Court.

Judge Gamrath is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Mary Ellen Coghlan who will be retiring effective August 31, 2024. The appointment is effective September 6, 2024, and will conclude on December 2, 2024. Judge Gamrath is running unopposed in the November general election.

“I am honored and humbled by the confidence the Supreme Court has shown in me,” Judge Gamrath said. “I have felt fortunate to serve in the Circuit Court for 14 years, which has prepared me for the Appellate Court. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I will do my best to live up to everyone’s expectations.”

Judge Gamrath has served on the bench since 2010 when she was appointed as a Cook County Circuit Judge for the 8th Judicial Subcircuit, and she won election to the position in 2012. Judge Gamrath is currently assigned to the Chancery Division and previously served in the Domestic Relations Division as well as the Traffic Division.

Prior to joining the bench, Judge Gamrath was a partner at Schiller, DuCanto & Fleck. She started her career as a judicial law clerk in the First District Appellate Court for the Hon. Thomas R. Rakowski, serving in that role from 1994 to 1997.

Judge Gamrath earned her Bachelor of Science from Indiana University and earned her juris doctor, cum laude, from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law (UIC Law).

She has served in a number of leadership roles, including as a Board Member of the Appellate Lawyers Association, a Vice President of the UIC Law School, Secretary of the Chicago Bar Foundation, President of the Justinian Society of Lawyers, Treasurer of the Illinois State Bar Association, Chair of the Illinois State Bar Association Women and Law Committee, and Co-Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Alliance for Women.

Judge Gamrath’s professional achievements include receiving awards such as the Chicago Bar Association’s Alta May Hulett Award, UIC Law’s Distinguished Service Award, and Forty Under 40 recognition by the Law Bulletin. Last December, she was honored as the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Service to Law & Society Award by the Illinois Bar Foundation.