Meet Judge Dominique C. Ross
Candidate for Illinois Appellate Court Judge
Judge Dominique C. Ross was elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County in November 2008. Judge Ross was initially assigned to the First Municipal Division. Shortly thereafter and at her request, she was assigned to the Domestic Relations Division where she currently serves as a Trial Judge. In her current assignment, Judge Ross presides over cases involving dissolutions of marriage, parentage, allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting time, property division and other family law issues.
LEGAL EXPERIENCE: Judge Ross has more than 26 years of legal experience. Prior to taking the bench, Judge Ross was in private practice concentrating primarily on family law issues. She also represented parties in other civil disputes, criminal misdemeanors, and transactional matters. In conjunction with her practice, Judge Ross served as an Arbitrator with the Circuit Court of Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program and an attorney per contract with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Additionally, she served as a legal advice panelist at various legal forums and radio shows and was a volunteer with the non-profit organization CLAIM, Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers.
COMMUNITY & LEGAL LEADERSHIP: An active member of the legal community, Judge Ross served as an Officer, Director and Chair of various committees prior to being elected President of the Illinois Judicial Council (IJC). As President she oversaw programs geared towards promoting judicial visibility in the community, providing internships for students interested in the legal profession and awarding scholarships to deserving law students. Judge Ross is a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility. She also holds membership in the Illinois Judges Association (IJA) and the Cook County Bar Association. Judge Ross has been a presenter at continuing legal education seminars for attorneys; she was a panelist on the ISBA’s women’s panel which explored barriers and bias in courts and her remarks were featured in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, and she has been a speaker at several Chicago and suburban high schools on various topics.
In an effort to study, learn and share legal and judicial principles with international jurists, Judge Ross formed and led an Illinois Judicial Delegation for the Niagara Foundation to the country of Turkey.
PANDEMIC RESPONSE: During the unprecedented times of the current worldwide pandemic, Judge Ross has worked diligently within her Division and Trial Team to ensure that the parties appearing before her remotely continue being served fairly and judiciously. She is a member of the Post Pandemic Committee headed by the Division’s Presiding Judge, formed for the purpose of determining and implementing court procedures that will remain in place or change upon reemergence from the pandemic.
AWARDS & RECOGNITION: Judge Ross has been recognized and/or received awards for her service as a jurist, from various organizations including the IJA, IJC, CCBA, Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Who’s Who in Black Chicago and Perspectives Charter Schools.
EDUCATION: Judge Ross received her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and attended Elizabeth Seton High School.
PERSONAL & FAMILY: Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Judge Ross is active in her community, a supporter of the Girls and Boys Club of Chicago, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., a resident of the Jackson Park Highlands Historic Chicago neighborhood, and the proud mother of three adult children.