Woman is first child of a former chief judge to serve as chief judge
By Andy Kravetz
Journal Star
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — It’s not lost on Kate Gorman that her tenure as chief judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit is historic, but she doesn’t want to dwell on that.
Rather, Gorman doesn’t want to just be known as the first woman to head the five counties that compose the circuit, nor does she want to be known as the first child of a former chief judge — her father, John Gorman, served as chief from 1994 to 1998.
The 52-year-old mother of two wants to be known as “someone who is coming to work, trying to do the right thing and trying to do my job,” she said. “I think that it just adds another layer of experience ... that others might not have.”
Yet, she knows she’s a role model.
“I have lots of young women come and shadow me at the courthouse and watch what happens throughout the day,” she said. “I have a freshman in college and an eighth-grader. Their friends have come to the courthouse with me. And watched things unfold at the courthouse.
“I would first come out and talk to them in my street clothes, and they would see it was their friend’s mother. Then I’d go put on my robes, and they’d see that a person they knew could be a judge.”
When she was elected last December by the 10 circuit judges, she was humbled and honored. Knowing the job from her father and watching outgoing Chief Judge Paul Gilfillan, she saw firsthand how difficult it was.
“I have huge shoes to fill with Judge Gilfillan. He has been a wonderful colleague and someone to look up to,” she said.
Gilfillan, who is now in Tazewell County Circuit Court, said Gorman’s temperament — the magical word used to describe an even-keeled judge — is perfect for the role.
“She is of the exact temperament, legal ability and management skills needed for the 10th circuit,” he said. “She will lead an inclusive, collaborative and collegial effort among all stakeholders, within and outside the courthouses, with a goal of fairness to all who encounter the court system.”
Making history is just how it’s been for her. She was also the first woman elected to be a circuit judge in the 10th circuit. That occurred in 2012. Prior to that, women had been appointed to fill positions, but none had been approved by the voters.
“I think it has been really a positive thing for someone who fails to see that females can and are very capable of holding these positions and handling them confidently,” she said before recalling a person who questioned her desire to hold office during her 2012 campaign.
“When I ran in certain areas of our circuit, I can remember one man asking, ‘What’s a little girl like you doing being a judge?’” she said. “I was so taken aback by that. I was not prepared for that.”
Like her predecessor Gilfillan, she’ll have uncharted waters to navigate. Where Gilfillan had to deal with the pandemic at the beginning, Gorman’s task will be to expand operations to get back to “normal.”
One of the things she’s hoping to get done is to have children come back to the courthouse, to teach them about the law and to have them become more familiar with how it works.
“Any school that comes, I have asked to visit with the kids and put on a little trial so they can see how it works,” she said. “As the vaccine rolls out and restrictions continue to relax, I would like to get school kids back and exposed to the courthouse and appreciate how things work.”
But it’s not something that can happen overnight and must be done safely. Going back to the “old days” of packed courtrooms might not happen. A balance, she said, can be struck for some of the more routine matters,
such as traffic citations, but she feels that in-person sessions are vital to a person feeling that they were treated fairly.
“While there are routine matters that can be handled virtually, I think that you lost the atmosphere, the connection and the interaction when you deal with certain things on the screen,” she said. “You lose an element of humanity.”
Gorman also is pushing for a few new things, such as an online dispute resolution for civil matters that involve a judgment of under $50,000. Initially, it will roll out later this year for cases where both parties are representing themselves.
She also wants to increase the number of trials, which is currently a maximum of two a week. One option might be a civil trial with another judge picking juries virtually and then holding the trial in person. That way, the number of people in the building is minimized.
“As restrictions relax, we are going to get back to trying cases and get back to having more people in the courthouse,” she said. “Having said that, judges are going to be able to run their courtrooms as they see fit, within the confines of the rules. I am not going to tell them how to handle things with relation to COVID.”
Gorman will also have to deal with the sweeping changes to the criminal justice system that were just signed into law.
Gorman said her thoughts are due largely to her parents, who instilled a measure of humility and compassion. Her father, she said, played a huge role in her career.
“I am extraordinarily proud of my dad. But I also want to make my mom and dad proud,” she said. “He was the first person that I told after I had been appointed. He’s had a huge impact on my life and my career.
“He taught me that it was important to take these matters seriously and try to do the right thing and treat everyone with dignity and respect. People should know what to expect and what is expected of them. Both of my parents taught me aspects of all of those things.”
