CBA Record July-August 2026

Leadership Profiles

Justice Thaddeus Wilson: Insights on the Path to Judicial Leadership By Katherine Hanson

J ustice Thaddeus Wilson’s back ground defies easy categorization. Recently appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court First District, he has sig nificant practical experience and an inter disciplinary perspective that encompasses technology, philosophy, and law. His career has been defined by a drive to use analytical rigor in service of the greater good in our modern era, along with a willingness to reimagine how systems (legal and otherwise) can work better for people. Justice Wilson’s career did not begin with the law—although in retrospect, his path follows a logical and integrated trajectory. A South Carolina native, he earned his undergraduate degree from University of Notre Dame, with a double major in Management Information Sys tems and philosophy. He came to Chi cago as a systems analyst and computer programmer, writing code and analyz ing computer systems. “It was fulfilling work—structured, logical, and deeply analytical,” he recalls. However, as his career in technology progressed, he real ized that he wanted to apply his analyti cal skills to a role offering greater human impact. So, he enrolled at Northern Illinois University College of Law and received his JD in 1994. He did not enter law school with a clear path in mind. Instead, he remained open to the range of opportunities avail able within the profession. His interest in litigation was kindled while shadowing his trial advocacy professor in state and federal court. That professor introduced him to Howard Brookins, Jr., who offered

him first a summer position and then a position as an associate. There, Justice Wilson’s practice ran the gamut, encom passing appellate advocacy, bankruptcy, civil rights/police misconduct, criminal defense, election law, foreclosure, general civil litigation, and personal injury. He later became the managing partner of the firm, which was subsequently known as Brookins & Wilson. While the law presented opportuni ties across a broad range of practice areas, Justice Wilson notes that “every case and client taught me something new about people —their challenges, their resilience, and how the justice system can either empower or burden them.” Someone is always paying attention to see who has integrity, who is doing their best. Doing the right thing can pay off, but not always in the way you expect. So, get out there, get out of your comfort zone. Take calculated risks. Be ready for those opportunities.

he viewed service on the bench as “as an opportunity to serve justice at scale—to resolve individual disputes while also improving the systems behind them.” Justice Wilson served justice at scale when he presided over the first, and highly publicized, Cook County pros ecution under Illinois’s anti-terrorism law, addressing allegations of a terrorist plot related to Chicago’s 2012 NATO Summit. And he improved the system when he later presided over Cook County’s first televised gavel-to-gavel trial, People v. Jones . In Jones , the State charged defendant Timothy Jones with the murder of Jaqueline Reynolds. Reyn olds was killed when a Chicago police vehicle struck her SUV while pursu ing Jones, a suspect in a home invasion. Wilson worked diligently to understand every angle of televising such a controver sial trial on felony murder. From meet ing with stakeholders to understanding camera placement and the technology, he sought to ensure that the media coverage “centered on the trial and not the judge.” Cook County judges today continue to rely upon Wilson’s framework and proce dures when presiding over televised trials.

Integrating Advocacy, Technology, and Integrity

His tenacious advocacy and unwavering adherence to practicing with integrity led to his appointment to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2007, where he was later elected and retained. True to his techno logical and philosophical foundations,

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