Justice Margaret Stanton McBride
Commissioner, Appellate Court Member, First District
Appointment to Commission: 2006 — December 31, 2024
Justice McBride has served on the Illinois Courts Commission as a judicial member elected by the First District Appellate Court since 2006.
Justice McBride began her judicial service as an Associate Judge in 1987, was elected as a Circuit Court Judge in 1990, and retained in 1996. Justice McBride was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1998, and retained in 2008 and 2018. As an Appellate Court Justice, she has authored over 2,000 decisions in both civil and criminal appeals.
Justice McBride serves on numerous committees devoted to the improvement of the administration of justice in Illinois. Justice McBride currently serves on the Appellate Committee of the Illinois Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission and the Illinois Supreme Court’s Judicial Performance Evaluation Committee, and served on the Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee from 2010 to 2020. Justice McBride has served as the First District’s Executive Committee Chair, as well as the Vice-Chair, and serves on the First District’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She has also served as the Presiding Justice of each of the six divisions of the Illinois Appellate Court.
Justice McBride’s previous assignments in the Circuit Court of Cook County include the First Municipal District, Criminal, Law, and Chancery Divisions and Presiding Judge of the Third Municipal District. At the Third Municipal District, Justice McBride oversaw the administration of the District courthouse in Rolling Meadows and supervised 19 judges and an administrative staff.
Prior to becoming a Judge, Justice McBride worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney from 1977 until 1987, and was previously employed an associate with a civil practice firm upon being licensed to practice law in November of 1976. Justice McBride earned her law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1976 and her undergraduate degree from Newton College in 1973.
Justice McBride is an active member of various bar associations in the state of Illinois and serves on the DePaul Law School Dean’s Advisory Council and the DePaul Law School Alumni Judge’s Committee. Justice McBride has received numerous awards for her judicial service over the course of her 36-year judicial career.