Nancy Rodkin Rotering

Name: Nancy Rodkin Rotering

Age (as of Election Day): 60

Residence: Highland Park

Current position and employer: Mayor, City of Highland Park; lecturer, Northwestern University

Past legal experience: McDermott Will & Emery, health law attorney (8 years); Children's Memorial Hospital and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Illinois, volunteer counsel and advocacy for families with students with disabilities (8 years); North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, founder, former board chair, current board member (7 years); Highland Park Plan Commission, quasi-judicial commissioner (3 years); Highland Park City Council, quasi-judicial council member (2 years); Highland Park Mayor, quasi-judicial role (11 years); Liquor Control Commission Chair, quasi-judicial (11 years)

Law school, year graduated: University of Chicago Law School, 1990

Campaign website: www.NancyRoteringForJustice.com

Family: Married to Rob Rotering for 32 years, four sons ages 20-27

Hobbies/interests: My hobbies/interests include teaching advocacy skills to all ages, photography, gardening, travel, studying Chicago-area architecture, and cheering for Northwestern Wildcats sports teams.

Have you ever run for office before?

In 2009, I successfully ran for Highland Park City Council, unseating a 20-year incumbent. Two years later, in 2011 I was elected the first woman Mayor of Highland Park. I was re-elected in 2015 and 2019. I ran for U.S. Congress in 2016 and Illinois attorney general in 2018.

Why should voters support your candidacy?

As an attorney for over 30 years, who has focused almost completely on public service and public interest law for the last two decades, I bring an important and unique perspective to the bench. In my varied roles, I have initiated and led the creation of new laws, challenged old laws, counseled families about how to assert their rights under existing laws, and as a mayor, I adjudicate decisions that impact one or thousands. Administratively, as a three-term mayor, I bring experience assessing qualifications for appointments and a commitment to prioritizing diversity, equity, inclusion and justice in those appointments, recognizing that broad and varied perspectives benefit the public realm. For all of these reasons: my experiences as an attorney and as a quasi-judicial official, as a pro bono counsel and champion, as an elected leader with a record of fairness and integrity, and as a public servant, I believe that I possess the qualities, the demeanor, the commitment to ethics, and the experience to successfully serve as a Supreme Court Justice who will uphold the rule of law and ensure that all Illinoisans have a fair and balanced adjudication of the major issues facing our state.

Who is/was your most important mentor and why?

U.S. Senator Richard J. Durbin is my most important mentor. Senator Durbin’s values and commitment to ethics in public service parallel my own. Throughout my career, he has provided candid advice, guidance, and important perspectives on professional and political decisions. I appreciate his equanimity and the impactful leadership he provides by example.

What are your thoughts on a hybrid in-person and remote future for the courts?

Accessibility has been an ongoing challenge in our judicial system. By providing hybrid in-person and remote access, several of these issues can be addressed, including improved ability for various parties to participate, removing many physical and language barriers, providing peace of mind to certain litigants and witnesses, and making time use more efficient. I support increased use of remote technology to also improve opportunities for collaborating with justice partners, assist with the need for interpreters, and improve communications overall. We also know that technology itself can be a barrier, so the court system needs to be cognizant of unintended consequences as it shifts to increased use.

What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?

In 2013, in the wake of Sandy Hook, I successfully led my City Council in an effort to pass an ordinance banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines during a brief 10-day window of opportunity provided by the Illinois General Assembly. I worked in partnership with our corporation counsel to draft a strategy that mitigated litigation exposure and encouraged my colleagues in the face of intense challenges to do the right thing for our community. I was able to obtain pro bono legal counsel, who withstood a challenge by the NRA that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and succeeded in defending what is now a model ordinance.

What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?

The skills that I use every day as mayor — holding hearings, following rules of procedure, ensuring due process, gathering facts, identifying issues, fairly and impartially adjudicating complex and difficult decisions that can impact thousands of people -- all translate to this role on the Supreme Court. Additionally, I will bring the perspective of someone who has had over 11 years of experience working with the police to serve and protect our community, who understands the direct impacts of workers compensation laws and public safety pension rulings, who has initiated and succeeded on constitutional issues, who has successfully stood up to major interests, who has taken significant action to improve access to justice, and who has a record of strong ethics, transparency and independence. Every one of my decisions, whether complex or straightforward, has been made under the gaze of the public, and I always maintain my commitment to fair, impartial and transparent adjudication.

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