--- title: "Elizabeth M. Rochford | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-m-rochford" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-22" --- # Elizabeth M. Rochford Supreme Court of Illinois · Justice ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Illinois - State: Illinois - Role: Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## 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. ## 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 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/meet-the-justices/) - [Official roster](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/meet-the-justices/) - [Illinois Courts official judicial roster](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/courts/supreme-court/meet-the-justices/) - [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) - [Official biography source for Elizabeth M. Rochford](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/576/Elizabeth-M-Rochford/justice/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-m-rochford", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-m-rochford", "name": "Elizabeth M. Rochford | KnowJudges", "description": "Elizabeth M. Rochford, Supreme Court of Illinois. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-22", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-m-rochford#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/elizabeth-m-rochford#judge", "name": "Elizabeth M. 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