--- title: "Aurelia Pucinski | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/aurelia-pucinski" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Aurelia Pucinski Illinois Appellate Court, District 1 · Appellate Court Justice ## Profile - Court: Illinois Appellate Court, District 1 - State: Illinois - Role: Appellate Court Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-28 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - 2004–2010: Circuit Court Judge in Cook County, hearing over 10,000 domestic violence cases and creating a specialized program to protect senior victims - 1984–1988: Commissioner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago - On the appellate bench, Pucinski has emphasized access to justice for self-represented litigants ### Education - DePaul University College of Law — J.D. (1975) - B.A. in History from Catholic University of America (1968) ### Additional information - In 2021, she launched Illinois Free Legal Answers for Civil Appeals, a virtual clinic offering pro bono legal advice, resolving over 100 civil appeal queries. - 1988–2000: Clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, where she expedited child support payments and computerized courtrooms - She started practicing law in 1976 in a neighborhood law office where she developed a reputation for pro bono work, including representing citizens who sued the Chicago Board of Education to keep a local school open, a case she won in the Appellate Court. - Date of birth: 1947-04-29 - A native Chicagoan, Pucinski is a Democrat and has been active in community and pro bono work throughout her career - Official site: Illinois Courts – Aurelia Pucinski Office of the Illinois Courts - Her judicial temperament has received unanimous qualifications from multiple bar associations in retention evaluations, reflecting a career marked by operational reforms, victim protections, and expanded legal aid without notable controversies - Birth place: Chicago ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Photography, broadcasting, and recording in an Illinois courtroom are permitted only under Supreme Court authority or Rule 44's stated exceptions; participants may not record a remote proceeding unless the court directs it or extended-media coverage is approved. Evidence excerpt: the taking of photographs in the courtroom during sessions of the court or recesses between proceedings and the broadcasting or televising of court proceedings are permitted only to the extent authorized by order of the Supreme Court [Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44, Photography and Video in the Courtroom](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/8db700cb-c17a-421d-8fdc-95ad22b399c9/Rule%2044.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### official record Scope: statewide The official record may be taken stenographically or through a Supreme Court-approved electronic recording system, including approved videoconferencing services. Evidence excerpt: The record of court proceedings may be taken by stenographic means or by an electronic recording system, including video conferencing services, approved by the Supreme Court. [Illinois Supreme Court Rule 46, Official Record of Court Proceedings](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/24ad75b6-a0a0-4a9f-b44e-1cf4daa67820/Rule%2046.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### appellate extended media coverage Scope: statewide All five Illinois Appellate Court districts accept extended-media requests for oral arguments, normally at least seven days in advance, subject to approval and continuing control by the assigned appellate panel. Evidence excerpt: All five districts of the Illinois Appellate Court shall allow requests for extended media coverage of oral arguments in accordance with the provisions of this policy. [Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Illinois Appellate Court](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/bfba1aa7-2408-416d-89b5-88fd3af5a247/Extended%20Media%20Coverage%20Appellate%20Court%20Policy%20No%20Forms.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/20/Aurelia-Pucinski/justice/) - [Official roster](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/20/Aurelia-Pucinski/justice/) - [State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts official judicial roster](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/20/Aurelia-Pucinski/justice/) - [Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44, Photography and Video in the Courtroom](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/8db700cb-c17a-421d-8fdc-95ad22b399c9/Rule%2044.pdf) - [Illinois Supreme Court Rule 46, Official Record of Court Proceedings](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/24ad75b6-a0a0-4a9f-b44e-1cf4daa67820/Rule%2046.pdf) - [Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Illinois Appellate Court](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/bfba1aa7-2408-416d-89b5-88fd3af5a247/Extended%20Media%20Coverage%20Appellate%20Court%20Policy%20No%20Forms.pdf) - [Pucinski, Aurelia | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/20/Aurelia-Pucinski/justice) - [Official biography source for Aurelia Pucinski](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/20/Aurelia-Pucinski/justice/) - [Wikidata: Aurelia Pucinski](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q64009413) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/aurelia-pucinski", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/aurelia-pucinski", "name": "Aurelia Pucinski | KnowJudges", "description": "Aurelia Pucinski, Illinois Appellate Court, District 1. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/8db700cb-c17a-421d-8fdc-95ad22b399c9/Rule%2044.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Illinois Appellate Court](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-496a290e8b5af5294036b271) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/bfba1aa7-2408-416d-89b5-88fd3af5a247/Extended%20Media%20Coverage%20Appellate%20Court%20Policy%20No%20Forms.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.