BAR ASSOCIATION EVALUATIONS

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY The Hon. James Edward Snyder
Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed James Edward Snyder as a Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Judge Snyder is seeking election in the Democratic Primary – 10th Judicial Subcircuit oo February 5, 2008.

Judge Snyder serves in the First Municipal District, presiding in the Richard J. Daley Center.

For nearly 20 years prior to the bench, Judge Snyder served as an attorney and community advocate.

Judge Snyder received both his Bachelor of Arts in History and Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University and was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1988. He is admitted to the United District Court, Northern District of Illinois and the United States Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit.

Judge Snyder’s pro bono work and accomplishments as a civil rights attorney were recognized by his alma mater in 2000 as Snyder was named NIU Law Alumni of the Year.

That work led him to leave private practice and accept the position of General Counsel of the Illinois Human Rights Commission, the state agency in charge of helping victims of discrimination in employment, housing, or credit and individuals and businesses unfairly accused of discrimination.

He led the Commission’s creation of the Governor Edward Coles Civil Rights Fellowship. Among Judge Snyder’s supporters are the Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Congressman Rahm Emmanuel, Human Rights Commission Chairman, Abner J. Mikva, who was White House Counsel to President Clinton, and prior Commission Chairman, community leader J. B. Pritzker.

Snyder served on the Gubernatorial Transition Team of Governor Rod Blagojevich’s as Co-Chair of Civil Rights Committee and as a member of the committee on Alcohol and Substance Abuse Recovery. He served on Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Transition Committee as member of the Civil Rights and Hate Crime Prevention Committee.

He has served on numerous boards and performed pro bono services with for organizations including Equip for Equality, the Illinois Federation of Human Rights, the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence, the Chicago Bar Association Civil Rights Committee, the Illinois State Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, as the founding General Counsel of Chicago’s AIDS Care and as a volunteer attorney for Pro Bono Advocates, for domestic violence survivors. He served as Chair of the FAIR Illinois Committee, a litigation group that fought to protect the Illinois Constitution from discriminatory amendment.