Judge since: 2011

Marsalek was appointed to the bench in 2011 and went on to win a full term in 2012. Prior to her judgeship, Marsalek served as a deputy clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, chief legal counsel for the Illinois Department of Corrections, an assistant state attorney general, and a hearing officer for the Illinois Secretary of State. She is supervising judge of the First Municipal District’s traffic court.

Bar Association ratings

This year: Marsalek was rated qualified by the CCL and CBA and was recommended for retention by the ISBA.

Past: In 2012, she was rated “not qualified” by CCL due to concerns that most of her litigation experience was earlier in her career and in federal—not state—court. She received positive reviews from the CBA and ISBA.

Notable: Marsalek previously ran four times for judge in 1994, 1996, 2010, and 2012. The first was only five years after she got her law degree.