McLean County Times

Decatur-born Lisa Holder White joined the Illinois Supreme Court after taking the oath Thursday. She had been appointed to the position earlier this summer.

“Congratulations Justice Lisa Holder White on your appointment to the Illinois Supreme Court,” Rep. Dan Caulkins wrote on Facebook.

Holder White started her legal career as an assistant state’s attorney for Macon County.

“My heritage is a heritage that once involved minds and bodies that were shackled, and doors that were so, so long closed,” Holder White said to Black Enterprise. “Taking my oath in this place today recognizes the undeniable value and merit of what I — as a Black woman, mother, daughter, sister, wife, and jurist — have to contribute to the work of our state’s highest court. It is proof positive of the progress of this great nation and our great state. It is a testimony to the notion that as women and people of color we need not limit our dreams or settle for less.”

Holder White was honored as Woman of the Year at the 2013 Women of Excellence Awards hosted by Decatur YMCA and United Way of Decatur and Mid-Illinois.

She took the oath in Springfield to become the first black woman to serve as a justice on the Illinois Supreme Court in the institution’s 203-year history. She was selected by retiring Justice Rita Garman as her replacement in the central Illinois district, with the six other jurists on the court approving her appointment this spring.

WTTW reported that Holder White’s entering the Court came after U.S. Supreme Court appointed its first black female justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

“I think it’s important to ensure that we have all perspectives and experiences represented,” Holder White said to WTTW. “The thing about it is on the Supreme Court, you have seven justices and each justice will bring with them their experiences, their professional background and everything that makes them who they are. And so when you combine all these perspectives, there may be something that based on your background, you’re not thinking about or doesn’t seem to be an issue, and someone else with a different background will bring that to you and bring that up, and, you know, I think that that is relevant to the decision, and so when we don’t have all those voices, when we don’t have those unique perspectives, we lose the benefit of that in making decisions.”

Holder White's term is set to expire in December 2024. A full-time replacement will be determined in the November 2024 elections.