Elizabeth M. Rochford at a glance
- Current role
- Justice
- Jurisdiction
- Illinois · State
- Judicial service
- Active
Elizabeth M. Rochford
Justice · Supreme Court of Illinois
Biography
Professional career
- focusing on estate planning, probate, trusts, real estate, and administrative law, while concurrently serving as a commissioner for the Illinois Court of Claims from 1990 to 2012
- Assistant State’s Attorney (1986-1989), as a solo practitioner, trusts and estates, and real estate (1989-2012), as Commissioner of the Court of Claims (1990- 2012), and Administrative Law Hearing Officer for municipalities including Lincolnwood, Skokie, Morton Grove, and Glenview (2005-2012).
- Early in her career, she clerked at Corboy & Demetrio and then held the role of an Assistant State’s Attorney in Cook County from 1986 to 1990
Education
- Bachelor of Arts in English from Loyola University Chicago
- Loyola University Chicago School of Law — J.D.
Additional information
- Rochford has received numerous honors, including the ISBA Woman of Influence Award (2020), IJA Presidential Service Award (2020), Lake County Bar Association Access to Justice Award (2019), and the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois RBG Award (2023), among others.
- She was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court from the Second Judicial District in November 2022, defeating Republican Mark Curran with 54% of the vote, and was sworn in on December 5, 2022.
- Selected as an associate judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit in Lake County on December 27, 2012, where she presided over criminal, family, and probate matters, including developing a courtroom dedicated to self-represented litigants in family law.
- She also practiced privately
- Justice Rochford has been active in numerous professional organizations, including the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), serving on the Board of Governors, as Secretary, and on multiple committees such as Women and the Law, Bench and Bar, Trusts and Estates, and Mental Health.
- She has also held leadership roles in the Lake County Bar Association, the Illinois Judges Foundation, and the Illinois Judges Association.
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
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.
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 CourtIllinois Supreme Court Rule 44, Photography and Video in the Courtroom ↗
Official record
Statewide
The official record may be taken stenographically or through a Supreme Court-approved electronic recording system, including approved videoconferencing services.
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 ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44, Photography and Video in the Courtroom
Supreme Court of Illinois
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 ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked August 22, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 1, 2026.
Illinois Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked August 22, 2026
View Illinois Courts official judicial roster ↗Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44, Photography and Video in the Courtroom
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44, Photography and Video in the Courtroom ↗Illinois Supreme Court Rule 46, Official Record of Court Proceedings
Statewide source · PDF · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Illinois Supreme Court Rule 46, Official Record of Court Proceedings ↗