Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke will become the next chief justice of the state’s highest court.
Burke, the wife of indicted 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke, has served on the court since 2006 and was selected by the other justices to serve as the leading justice. She will begin her three-year term as chief justice on Oct. 26.
A request for comment was not immediately returned.
Burke was retained for her first 10-year term in 2008 and again in 2018; she represents the first district, which covers Cook County.
Her husband’s legal troubles have mired her in some controversy as well. In February, days before the election, political consultant Jeffrey Orr, the son of former Cook County Clerk David Orr, filed a complaint with the state’s Judicial Inquiry Board about Justice Burke’s alleged role in a fundraiser for Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
In June, Justice Burke drew the ire of Latino and black aldermen for picking Cara Smith, who then worked for Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, to replace a retiring black judge in a 7th subcircuit that includes much of the West Side.
