Judith Rice

Judith C. Rice (born July 30, 1957) is an American politician who served as Chicago City Treasurer from 2000 to 2006 and has served as a judge on the Circuit Court of Cook County 7th sub-circuit since 2014.

Early life Rice was born July 30, 1957, in Chicago, Illinois, to Fred Rice Jr. and Thelma Rice. She is the granddaughter of sharecroppers.

Chicago City Treasurer In November 2000, mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Rice to serve as Chicago City Treasurer, after Miriam Santos was forced to resign after pleading guilty to mail fraud. Rice was confirmed in a unanimous vote by the Chicago City Council and sworn into office on November 15, 2000.

Rice won reelection to the office in 2003, running unopposed. Rice co-chaired the Champions program of the 2006 Gay Games. Rice then joined Daley's administration as a Deputy Mayor. She left that position the following year. She began her tenure at BMO Harris in 2007. The election was to the seat vacated by William H. Taylor II upon his 2012 appointment to the Illinois Appellate Court. That seat had been filled, in the interim period before a newly-elected occupant could be sworn in on December 1, 2014, by Freddrenna Lyle, who on September 10, 2012, had been appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the serve seat effective November 16, 2012. Instead of seeking reelection to the seat in 2014, Lyle instead ran unsuccessfully for an Illinois Appellate Court seat in 2014.

On the court, Rice has been assigned to the Domestic Relations Division. In 2020, Rice was successful in winning her retention election.

Nonprofit work Rice has served on the advisory board of the Chicago Children's Advocacy Center.

Personal life In 2013, Rice publicly came out as a lesbian.

Awards and recognition In 2019, the Cook County State's Attorney office named Rice one of the recipients of its Pride Recognition Awards, which recognized "outstanding LGBT community group and leaders, attorneys, and judges" from Cook County.

Electoral history