--- title: "Thomas L. Kilbride | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-l-kilbride-4234" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-22" --- # Thomas L. Kilbride Supreme Court of Illinois · Judge ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Illinois - State: Illinois - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Illinois Supreme Court, 2000-present - American jurist who served on the Illinois Supreme Court from 2000 to 2020, including as Chief Justice from 2010 to 2013 - Chief Justice: October 2010 – October 2013, elected by colleagues - Elected Justice (3rd District): 2000, succeeding James D. Heiple - Founding the Illinois Access to Justice Commission, which subsequently became the Access to Justice Division ### Education - Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C — J.D. (1981) - B.A. magna cum laude from St. Mary’s College in Winona, Minnesota (1978) - Saint Mary's College in — B.A. (1978) - Saint Mary's University of Minnesota ### Additional information - In 2021, the Chicago Bar Association and Chicago Bar Foundation created the Thomas L. Kilbride Public Service Award in his honor - Practitioner, 1999-1999 - Born August 5, 1953. - Date of birth: 1953-08-05 - Before joining the court, Kilbride practiced law for 20 years in the Quad Cities area of Illinois - handling general civil and criminal matters, appeals, environmental law, labor and employment law, and representing local governments. - Bishop McNamara High School - He was admitted to the U.S. District Court for Central Illinois and the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals - David A. Clarke School of Law - Kilbride served on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants and the Committee on Interest on Lawyer Trust Accounts. - Birth place: LaSalle ## 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.courtlistener.com/person/4234/thomas-l-kilbride/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4234/thomas-l-kilbride/) - [Supreme Court of Illinois current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4234/thomas-l-kilbride/) - [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) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4234/thomas-l-kilbride/) - [Thomas Kilbride - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Thomas_Kilbride) - [Wikidata: Thomas L. Kilbride](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3525284) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-l-kilbride-4234", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-l-kilbride-4234", "name": "Thomas L. Kilbride | KnowJudges", "description": "Thomas L. Kilbride, 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/thomas-l-kilbride-4234#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/thomas-l-kilbride-4234#judge", "name": "Thomas L. 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