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P. Scott Neville Jr.

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Scott Neville
Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 26, 2025
Preceded byMary Jane Theis
Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 15, 2018
Preceded byCharles E. Freeman
Judge of the Illinois Appellate Court
for the 1st district
In office
June 11, 2004 – June 15, 2018
Preceded byNeil Hartigan
Succeeded byMichael Hyman
Personal details
Born1948 or 1949 (age 77–78)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
PartyDemocratic[1]
EducationCulver-Stockton College (BA)
Washington University in St. Louis (JD)

P. Scott Neville Jr. (born 1948 or 1949)[2] is an American lawyer who has served as the chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court since 2025, while also concurrently serving as a justice of the court since 2018.[3]

Education

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Neville received his bachelor's degree in history from Culver–Stockton College in 1970 and his Juris Doctor from Washington University School of Law in 1973.[4][5]

Career

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He was admitted to the bar in 1974 and served as a law clerk to appellate court Justice Glenn T. Johnson. From 1977 until 1979, he was Of Counsel at Howard, Mann & Slaughter. In 1979, he became a principal with the law firm of Neville & Ward. In 1981, he established P. Scott Neville, Jr. & Associates, which merged with Howse, Howse, Neville & Gray in 1990.[4][6]

State judicial service

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Neville was appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1999 and elected in 2000. On June 11, 2004, he was appointed to the Appellate Court to succeed Neil Hartigan.[7] He was then elected to the Appellate Court in 2012. He also served as Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Illinois Appellate Court, First District from September 1, 2013 until August 31, 2014, is a former member of the Appellate Court's Executive Committee and has been the Presiding Justice of the Second, Third and Fourth Divisions.[6]

Appointment to Illinois Supreme Court

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Neville was appointed by the Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Charles E. Freeman.[8] He was sworn into office on June 15, 2018[9][10] and his term would have ended on December 7, 2020, but he was subsequently elected in his own right in the 2020 Illinois judicial elections.[11] Neville was only the second black justice in the Illinois Supreme Court's 170-year history (Freeman had been the first).[10]

Personal life

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Neville was born in Chicago.[4] He is married to Sharon J. Neville and has two adult stepdaughters.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "P. Scott Neville, Jr.: Candidate profile". Daily Herald. March 3, 2020. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  2. ↑ "P. Scott Neville Jr. chosen as next chief justice on Illinois Supreme Court - IPM Newsroom". September 10, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  3. ↑ Stanziola, Marybeth (September 9, 2025). "Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr. Selected as Next Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court | Illinois State Bar Association". Illinois State Bar Association. Archived from the original on September 12, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "P. Scott Neville, Jr". www.illinoiscourts.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Justice Detail". Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Illinois Supreme Court Justice P. Scott Neville". www.illinoiscourts.gov. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Appellate Court gets Hartigan replacement". Chicago Tribune. June 11, 2004. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  8. ↑ Brown, Mark (May 17, 2018). "Only African-American lawyer to serve on Illinois Supreme Court is retiring". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  9. ↑ "P. Scott Neville Jr. Is The Newest Illinois Supreme Court Justice". June 16, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  10. 1 2 "Illinois Supreme Court's 2nd black justice to be sworn in". Chicago Sun-Times. June 15, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  11. ↑ "JUSTICE CHARLES E. FREEMAN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER LONG AND DISTINGUISHED CAREER" (PDF) (Press release). Supreme Court of Illinois. May 17, 2018.
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