James Fitzgerald Smith Nonpartisan Illinois 1st District Appellate Court Tenure 2002 - Present Term ends 2022 Years in position Education Bachelor's Marquette University, 1966 Law University of Illinois-Chicago, John Marshall Law School, 1975 Contact Official website ## Contents * 1 Education * 2 Career * 3 2012 election * 4 See also * 5 External links * 6 Footnotes James Fitzgerald Smith is a judge on the Illinois First District Appellate Court. He was elected to this court on November 5, 2002, to replace the former Judge Rakowski.[1][2] He took office on December 2, 2002. He was retained in 2012 and his current term ends on December 4, 2022.[3][4] ## Education[edit] Judge Smith graduated from Marquette University in 1966 with two degrees: a B.A. in English & Philosophy and a B.S. in Chemistry & Biology. He then received his J.D. degree from the John Marshall Law School in 1975. In 1992, he graduated from the United States Army War College, after which he was admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in 1995.[1] ## Career[edit] Judge Smith began his career in 1975 as the Legal Director of Rockford, IL. He became Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago in 1977. From 1979 to 1989, he worked as the City Attorney and City Prosecutor of Des Plaines. He was then appointed to the Cook County Circuit Court, where he served until 2002.[1] ## 2012 election[edit] Smith was retained on Nov. 6, 2012 with 79.8% of the vote.[5][4][6] See also: Illinois judicial elections, 2012 ## See also[edit] * Illinois First District Appellate Court ## External links[edit] * Search Google News for this topic Officeholder Illinois 1st District Appellate Court * Website ## Footnotes[edit] 1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Official biography of Judge Smith 2. ↑ 2002 General Election Results 3. ↑ Illinois First District Appellate Court 4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Illinois State Bar Association: Results from Tuesday's Cook County judicial elections; Theis holds Supreme Court seat 5. ↑ Illinois Board of Elections: November 6, 2012 Official Vote Scroll to p.156 6. ↑ Illinois Judges.net, "2012 Illinois Judges for Retention" v • e Illinois Appellate Court Judicial selection in Illinois • 2022 elections • 2020 elections • Illinois Supreme Court | First District| Margaret Stanton McBride • Robert E. Gordon (Illinois) • Thomas Hoffman • Joy Cunningham • James Fitzgerald Smith • Mary Ellen Coghlan • Maureen Connors • Sheldon Harris • Michael Hyman • Mary Katherine Rochford • Sharon Oden-Johnson • Daniel James Pierce • Bertina E. Lampkin • Terrence J. Lavin • LeRoy K. Martin, Jr. • Nathaniel R. Howse • Jesse G. Reyes • Mathias W. Delort • Carl A. Walker • Mary L. Mikva • Eileen O'Neill Burke • Cynthia Cobbs • David Ellis (Illinois) • Second District| Kathryn Zenoff • Susan Hutchinson (Illinois) • Robert McLaren • Donald Hudson • Mary Seminara-Schostok • Ann B. Jorgensen • Joseph Birkett • George Bridges • Liam C. Brennan • Third District| William Holdridge • Tom Lytton • Mary McDade • Mary O'Brien • Daniel Schmidt • Eugene P. Daugherity • Fourth District| James Knecht • Robert Steigmann • John W. Turner • Craig H. DeArmond • Lisa Holder White • Peter C. Cavanagh • Thomas M. Harris Jr. • Fifth District| Thomas Welch (Illinois) • Mark M. Boie • James R. Moore • Barry L. Vaughan • Milton S. Wharton • Judy Cates • John B. Barberis Jr. • v • e State of Illinois Springfield (capital) | Elections | What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2022 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures Government | Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy