Illinois Supreme Court Justice Mary Jane Theis has begun an application process for a judicial vacancy in the Second Judicial Subcircuit of Cook County.

The vacancy will be created by the upcoming retirement of the Hon. Camille E. Willis, effective January 29, 2017.

Under the Illinois Constitution, judicial vacancies are filled on an interim basis by Supreme Court appointment. Justice Theis will make a recommendation to the Supreme Court after applicants undergo a screening and evaluation process.

That process will include an evaluation by the Alliance of Bar Associations, which is made up of 11 bar groups in the Cook County area, and the Chicago Bar Association. Further review will be conducted by a special judicial screening committee that Justice Theis established in 2013 and is co-chaired by retired U.S. District Court Judge Wayne R. Andersen and retired Illinois Appellate Court Judge Michael J. Gallagher.

To be eligible for consideration for appointment, the applicant must be a lawyer in good standing licensed to practice law in Illinois and a resident of the Second Subcircuit.

To view a precise description and map of the Second Subcircuit, applicants should consult the State Board of Elections website at http://www.elections.il.gov/votinginformation/cooksubcircuits.aspx

The deadline for submission of applications is 4 p.m. on Friday, February 3, 2017.

Notice of the vacancy and details of the application process are posted on the Illinois Supreme Court's website at www.illinoiscourts.gov. From there, follow the instructions on the "Latest News" scroller announcing the Second Subcircuit vacancy.

Applications may be submitted electronically to lmarino@illinoiscourts.gov or by mail to: Supreme Court of Illinois, Attention: Ms. Laurie Marino, 160 N. LaSalle Street, Suite N2013, Chicago, IL 60601.

Applicants who have previously applied for appointment to a vacancy must complete and submit a new application. If applicants have already been evaluated by the bar associations, they should include copies with the application. Applications may be submitted without bar evaluations.

The applicants appointed to fill the vacancies will serve until December 3, 2018, when the position is filled by the November 2018 general election.