|
|
About Ann
ILLINOIS APPELLATE COURT – SECOND
DISTRICT
Ann
Jorgensen
currently sits on the Illinois Appellate Court
Second District in Elgin, Illinois. She was appointed by
the Illinois Supreme Court in July of 2008 to fill the
vacancy of Justice Tom Callum and will seek election to
remain in her current seat on the Appellate Court as a
Republican candidate in the February 2010 primary
election and November 2010 general election.
Ann
Jorgensen
is a former prosecutor. She served as an Assistant
State’s Attorney in DuPage County where she tried cases
from traffic violations to murder. Following a career in
the State’s Attorney’s Office, she entered the private
practice of law with the Law Offices of John F. Donahue,
now known as Donahue Sowa & Magana, concentrating in
criminal defense.
In 1989 Ann Jorgensen was appointed by the Circuit
Judges in DuPage County to serve as an Associate Judge
in the 18th Judicial Circuit. She served in the law
division. While assigned to Small Claims court, she
presided over a dispute involving a Nolan Ryan rookie
year baseball card that attracted national media
attention. She urged a settlement in the case, which
resulted in the card being auctioned by sports
personality Chet Coppock with the proceeds going to
charity. She was later assigned to supervise the DuPage
County Mandatory Arbitration Program, a program designed
to assist litigants with smaller cases use alternative
dispute resolution to reduce both the cost and time of
traditional litigation.
In 1994 Judge Jorgensen was elected Circuit Judge in
DuPage County and has been retained in 2000 and 2006
with an 82% and 84% yes vote. Following her election she
assumed a position in the Felony Division where she
heard some of the most serious criminal cases in the
county. In addition to hearing felony cases, in 1997 she
was appointed as the presiding judge of the Felony
Division and assumed the duty of presiding over Grand
Jury matters. As the presiding judge, she was
instrumental in starting the DuPage County Drug Court
Program and was the first presiding judge of the drug
court serving until 2006. The Illinois Crime Commission
recognized the work of Judge Jorgensen in 2006 by
honoring her with their Excellence in the Judiciary
Award.
Judge Jorgensen was elected by her fellow circuit judges
to serve as the Chief Judge of the 18th Judicial Circuit
in 2005. As Chief Judge, Judge Jorgensen had the
privilege to represent her circuit at the Conference of
Chief Judges and work with the Conference to improve the
trial courts throughout the state. The job of chief
judge includes the management and oversight of the
administration of the courts, 42 circuit and associate
judges, 7 departments, 275 employees and a budget over
20 million dollars.
Members of the DuPage County Bar Association and the
Illinois State Bar Association evaluate the judges they
appear before, and consider characteristics such as a
judge’s integrity, legal ability and impartiality. In
the most recent poll evaluating her in 2006, Judge
Jorgensen received a positive rating over 98% in these
and other judicial characteristics.
Justice Jorgensen is a Past President of the Illinois
Judge’s Association and current member of the Illinois
Judge’s Association Foundation. The Illinois Judges
Association honored her years of dedication and
contribution by bestowing upon here their Lifetime
Achievement Award in 2005. Justice Jorgensen is an
active member of the DuPage County Bar Association and
has been recognized for her contributions to the
organization; in 1999 she was selected as the Lawyer of
the Year and in 2008 she was honored to receive the
Ralph A. Gabric Award for Professionalism. She was a
founding member of the DuPage Association of Women
Lawyers, who recognized her career in 2003 by awarding
her the Glass Ceiling Buster award. She is also an
active member of the Illinois State Bar Association
where she has served as Chair of the Criminal Law
Section Council and as Chair of the Alternative Dispute
Resolution Committee.
Justice Jorgensen has been recognized for her
contribution to substance abuse awareness and
intervention. She was named Woman of the Year by
Serenity House, a half way house for those in recovery
in Addison, Illinois. The Lawyers Assistance Program is
a not-for-profit organization designed to offer
assistance to lawyers who are impaired due to
alcoholism, substance abuse or mental disorder. The
Lawyers Assistance Program protects the public from an
impaired lawyer or judge and assists the impaired
individual with recovery. In 2008 the Lawyers Assistance
Program honored Justice Jorgensen with the John Powers
Crowley Award given to a member of the judiciary who has
contributed to the goals and mission of the program.
Justice Jorgensen is also a member of the Board of
Directors for Family Shelter Services in Wheaton. Ann
and her husband Richard Jorgensen M.D. live in Wheaton
and are the parents of two adult daughters.
|
|
|
|
|
