CBA Record July-August 2025

Judge Patton with Syndey Weathersby and Greta Weathersby.

words, “go back to my roots. I went back part-time for about a year and then full time,” Judge Patton said. “It was like a homecoming.” Becoming a Judge As Judge Patton gained experience as an attorney, and with the encouragement of some of her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sisters and other colleagues, she began the process of trying to become a judge. The path, though, was not easy. Judge Patton admits she was “very green” when she first ran for Judge in Cook County’s 15th Judicial Subcircuit in 2010. “By the time I figured out what the 15th judicial subcircuit looked like— the landscape and the politics—the race was over,” she remem bers. She ran again countywide in 2012, but again fell short of winning that judicial race. However, her dream to serve on the bench was merely deferred, not denied. In June 2018, Justice Charles E. Freeman was getting ready to retire from the Illinois Supreme Court. In one of his last official acts, he appointed Judge Patton to fill a vacancy made by Justice John Griffin’s appointment to the Appellate Court. In a poetic coincidence, it just so happened that Justice Griffin had won election to the 15th Judicial Subcircuit in 2010 over a young judicial candidate: Nichole Patton. “My head is still swimming now because it happened so quickly—within a week,” she recalled. “The week before, I’m a prosecutor. The next week, I’m a judge.” It took an adjustment period to be completely comfortable in the new role: “I was in the Traffic Division, then transferred to County before the judges that I had just appeared before two months ago. They’d say, ‘Call me by my first name,’ and I go ‘Okay, Judge Sullivan.’ It took me about six months to finally call them by their first name.” Formalities aside, Judge Patton adjusted well to her new role and felt grateful for the new position she was in. “It was a dream come true,” said Judge Patton. “I’m forever grateful that my prayers were answered.” Judge Patton is happy serving the people of Cook County as a Circuit Court Judge, now in the Trial Division, and feels it is the

Judge Patton with her husband, Marty.

because it is a huge organization,” she explained. “I received great training, but they’re not going to hold your hand forever. It was trial by fire. It taught me how to think on my feet and how to recover from mistakes quickly. If you didn’t win one trial, guess what, there’s another one tomorrow. Get yourself together, and learn from those mistakes. Don’t do them again.” Working in an active litigation space, conducting hundreds of trials, going against more experienced defense attorneys most of the time, Judge Patton was able to hone her skills and gain confidence. After working at the State’s Attorney’s Office for about five years, she moved into the private sector in a variety of practice settings. “The private sector smoothed out my rough edges,” she reflected. “It taught me how to slow down. I know it made me a better attorney.” Judge Patton worked in-house at an insurance company, as an associate at a law firm, and even hung out her own shingle as a solo practitioner. Having her own practice for about seven years helped Judge Patton better understand the financial side of the legal profession: “I did a little bit of everything. I learned more about myself because I learned the business of the law, as opposed to just representing clients, which was very helpful.” As much as Judge Patton enjoyed the challenges of having her own firm, she missed having cases that went to trial and missed serving the public. When a friend from the State’s Attorney’s Office reached out about a part-time position, she decided to, in her

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