State Supreme Court Justice Talks to Troy Middle School

PLAINFIELD, IL — Troy Middle School eighth graders learned about the justice system, perseverance and setting goals from Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman this week.

Garman, who is also the longest-serving woman judge in Illinois, was introduced at the assembly by her great-niece Emily Dow, a TMS eighth-grader.

“The judicial branch is by far the smallest branch of the government,” Garman told the students, “but it’s a very important one.”

After reviewing the branches of the government with the TMS students and how the circuit and appellate courts operate, she explained the role of the Supreme Court.

“The Supreme Court is the highest court in Illinois,” she said. “Our job is to set precedent and to determine what the Illinois constitution means. . . There are very difficult decisions to make. The cases we get are only the toughest ones. It is very challenging.”

Garman said that the most difficult cases she has had in all of her years as an associate judge, circuit court judge, appellate court judge and now as Supreme Court judge were the ones involving the death penalty, which is now banned in the state, and cases involving children.

On the Supreme Court since 2001, with three years as chief justice, Garman said it’s a wonderful, challenging position, although it was not easy getting there. Getting through law school in the 1960s was especially difficult as a woman, she said, with professors continually questioning her goal of becoming a lawyer and often making crude comments in class.

Her advice to the Troy students was to follow their dreams no matter how difficult.

“Set your goals high,” she said. “You never know where your journey will take you. Set your goals high and work hard and take advantage of the opportunities that are open to you.”

Garman’s current term expires 2022. Her professional awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Judges Association and the Harold Sullivan Award for Judicial Excellence.

Submitted by Troy School District 30-C

Photo: Illinois Supreme Court Justice Rita Garman spoke to Troy Middle School students