Stephanie K. Miller
Stephanie K. Miller
Cecilia A. Horan
Cecilia A. Horan

The state Supreme Court appointed three attorneys to the Cook County Circuit Court, all of whom will take the judicial oath in the coming days.

The appointments were made this week.

Over a two-day period, the high court named Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Stephanie K. Miller, Assistant Public Defender Joanne F. Rosado and Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP partner Cecilia A. Horan to the bench.

Horan will be sworn in Jan. 19 with Rosado’s swearing-in on the following the day. Miller will take the bench starting Jan. 30.

“It’s a total honor and I am humbled by it,” Horan said in an interview. “I am confident that I will do a good job.”

Horan fills a vacancy left by Russell W. Hartigan, a circuit judge currently assigned to the 5th Municipal District in Bridgeview who will retire Tuesday.

Horan had initially applied for a judicial vacancy left by former circuit judge Michelle D. Jordan, but that position went to Clare J. Quish in June. The state Supreme Court indicated it kept Horan’s application on file.

Miller said she is excited, but admitted the news hasn’t fully sunk in yet. That’s because she is in the middle of a trying a murder case before a jury.

“I am definitely very excited to hit the ground running, once this jury is done,” she said.

A spokesman for Chief Circuit Judge Timothy C. Evans said every judge is initially assigned to the 1st Municipal District, where they will be trained and preside over traffic cases.

The judges’ prior legal backgrounds will be a factor in future assignments, the spokesman added.

Miller was appointed to fill the 6th Judicial Subcircuit vacancy left by former circuit judge Robert Lopez Cepero, who retired from the bench in January 2016. That subcircuit comprises parts of Chicago’s North and Northwest Sides.

Neither Miller or Horan identified a single event or catalyst that pushed them into deciding they wanted to become a judge. Miller said she has learned much from the judges she has appeared before.

Horan said she plans to be a judge with integrity and ensure every litigant in her courtroom receives a fair hearing. Miller echoed similar sentiments in a separate interview.

“The opportunities I’ve had have allowed me to feel confident that I am suitable and well-qualified for this role,” Horan said.

An employee of Hinshaw & Culbertson since 1997, Horan deals with tort litigation — primarily serving as the defense counsel for parties in personal-injury lawsuits.

Horan represented two Japanese companies — K Line America Inc. and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. — that were sued in 2008. While a train was transporting acetic acid, there was a leak within a container box. As a result of the leak, the plaintiff alleged he suffered from toxic exposure.

Horan’s clients were found not liable in late 2013; she listed that outcome in Harrison v. Norfolk Southern, et al., No. 08 L 11765, as one of her career accomplishments.

She credited Hinshaw & Culbertson’s training and mentoring programs for making her the attorney she is today, and she said she will carry that experience to the bench.

Miller has been an assistant state’s attorney since 2001; prior to that, she was an assistant public guardian at the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office.

Miller is currently assigned to the office’s felony trial division. Miller served for an 18-month period in a federally funded special prosecution unit on sex crimes, where she specifically worked with adolescent victims.

Miller declined to point to one particular case as a career achievement. Instead, she said she feels pride every time she is in court representing the state’s attorney’s office and “the people” as well as knowing that her work helps victims.

“I definitely see the position on the bench a big extension of that public service and giving back to the community,” Miller said.

Both Horan and Miller sit on the board of directors for the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago; Horan is currently the group’s president.

Horan graduated from The John Marshall Law School in 1997. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Columbia College Chicago.

Miller graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1998. She received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.

Rosado did not return multiple requests for comment. According to a state Supreme Court news release, she was appointed to the 11th Subcircuit vacancy left by retired circuit judge Kathleen G. Kennedy. The 11th Subcircuit covers Chicago’s far Northwest Side as well as parts of Norwood Park, Leyden, Maine, Elk Grove, Proviso, River Forest and Oak Park Townships in suburban Cook County.

Rosado ran as a Democrat for the Additional Judgeship A seat in the 11th Subcircuit in March 2014. She came in second, garnering 22.1 percent of the vote.

According to her listing in Sullivan’s Law Directory, a division of Law Bulletin Publishing Company, Rosado works in the public defender’s multiple defendant division.

She also worked in the child protection and felony trial divisions, according to the Supreme Court. Rosado has been with the public defender’s office since 2002, but she also operated a separate solo practice based in Rosemont from 2002 to 2010.

Rosado is a graduate of The John Marshall Law School in 2001. She received her bachelor’s degree from DePaul University.

The appointments announced this week expire Dec. 3, 2018 — the first Monday in December following the 2018 general election when the vacancies are up for grabs.