On June 28, 2022, Judge Debra B. Walker of the Circuit Court of Cook County won her primary election for a seat on the Illinois Appellate Court, First District. She has no general election opponent, so she will be installed on the Appellate Court on December 5, 2022. Among other elected officials, Walker was endorsed by U.S. Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Mike Quigley. 

Judge Walker has served the residents of Cook County since her election to the Circuit Court in 2008. She holds two degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Accounting and Law. After passing the CPA exam, she worked for McGladrey (now known as RSM) in downtown Champaign for a couple of years before returning to UIUC for her law degree. Following her College of Law graduation, she was a trial lawyer for 21 years and became a partner at Clausen Miller P.C. in Chicago.

Walker has served as President for the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Illinois Bar Foundation and the Illinois Judges Foundation.  She has also served the Illinois Supreme Court in three ways. She is the Immediate Past Chair of the Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, was a Commissioner for the Court’s Access to Justice Commission, and is the current Vice Chair of the Illinois Judicial Pension Board known as JRS. 

Judge Walker is very active with her alma mater. She is on the Dean’s Advisory Board and the Anderson Center for Advocacy and Professionalism Board for the College of Law. She is also a recipient of the College of Law’s Loyalty and Distinguished Alumni Awards.  Additionally, Walker continues to serve on the Illinois Judges Foundation Board and is an active member of the Illinois Judges Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Economic Club of Chicago.