Garman Successor Lisa Holder White Will Be First Black Woman on Court
Appellate Justice Lisa Holder White, who will become the first Black woman on the Illinois Supreme Court in July.
NOTE: This story was originally posted for subscribers only. To receive subscriber-only newsletters and content, click here.
A day after Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman announced she would retire from the Court, her replacement, Appellate Justice Lisa Holder White was announced as the first African American woman ever to serve on the court.
Holder White, a former Assistant State’s Attorney and Judge from Macon County, was appointed to the Appellate Court in 2013. According to a court spokesperson, Justice Holder and her family have moved to Sangamon County, making her eligible to serve in and run for a full term in the new fourth district. Macon County, like Garman’s home in Vermilion County, were moved out of the fourth and into the fifth district during the remap of the districts last year.
Holder White is a Republican.
“Being appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court is the honor of a lifetime. I am humbled by the confidence Justice Rita B. Garman and the entire Court have placed in me,” Justice Holder White said in a statement. “My service to the judiciary for the past 21 years has helped prepare me for this historic moment. I look forward to the privilege of resolving matters my fellow citizens bring before the Court.”
Holder White’s appointment becomes effective July 7, after the June 28 primary, meaning she will hold the seat until at least 2024.