Thomas L. Kilbride

Thomas L. Kilbride (born August 5, 1953) is an American judge who served on the Supreme Court of Illinois from 2000 to 2020. Kilbride served as Chief Justice of the court from October 2010 through October 25, 2013. He was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court Justice for the Third District in 2000 and elected Chief Justice by his colleagues in October 2010 for a three-year term. After losing a retention election in 2020, his tenure on the court ended in December 2020. Early life and education Kilbride was born in LaSalle, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from St. Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota in 1978 and received his J.D. degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington, DC, in 1981. Career Kilbride practiced law for 20 years in Rock Island, Illinois, engaging in the general practice of law, including environmental law, labor law, employment matters, appeals, and other general civil and criminal matters. He was admitted to practice in the United States District Court of Central Illinois and the United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. He was elected to the Supreme Court of Illinois for the Third District in 2000 defeating state legislator Carl Hawkinson of Galesburg to succeed Republican James Heiple after Heiple decided not to seek retention. The Third District comprises Bureau, Fulton, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Iroquois, Kankakee, Knox, LaSalle, Marshall, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Putnam, Rock Island, Stark, Tazewell, Warren, Whiteside, and Will counties in northern and central Illinois. He was sworn in on December 1, 2000.