:: John Ericsson Republican League of Illinois ::

Justice Ann B. 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.

Justice 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.