DEMOCRAT SOMERVILLE FOR JUDGE
Cook County 19th Subcircuit
34+
years of experience as a lawyer, judge and hearing officer
500+
cases ligated in federal and state court and agencies
37
years as a Beverly resident in the 19th Ward
Hello.
I'm Monica Somerville and I want to be your Circuit Court Judge for the Cook County 19th Subcircuit.
With over 34 years of experience in civil litigation, personal injury, workers compensation, municipal law, labor and employment, and contract and criminal law I bring experience, fairness, and integrity to the job on day one.
I hope I can count on your vote.
Experience. Fairness. Integrity.
LEGAL EXPERIENCE
- Litigated hundreds of cases in federal and state court and administrative agencies
- Over 34 years of experience in civil litigation, personal injury, workers compensation, municipal law, labor and employment, and contract and criminal law
- Administrative Law Judge / Hearing Officer
- Licensed in U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, U.S. Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar, and State of Illinois
- Committed to fairness and equitable justice for all
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Chicago Volunteer Legal Services: provide pro bono legal services to low-income individuals
- Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights’ Settlement Assistance Program: provide pro bono legal assistance to guide people through settlement of their case
- Chicago Bar Association’s Lawyer-Lend-A Hand Program: provide tutoring to children in underserved communities
- Chicago Bar Association’s Lawyers in the Classroom: provide classroom discussion on the Constitution
- Justice Community Court and Wrap Court of the Circuit Court of Cook County: provide pro bono legal assistance to individuals in programs
- Beverly Area Planning Association (BAPA): volunteer for Home Tours
- Beverly Resident in the 19th Ward for 37 years
EDUCATION
- Juris Doctor, John Marshall Law School, UIC
- Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Loyola University of Chicago
- Kenwood Academy
MORE ABOUT ME
Learn more about how I bring fairness, experience, and integrity to the job, and why you should vote for me.
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Learn what inspired me to become a lawyer and judge, and all the ways I engage with the community.
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My Background
I was inspired to become a lawyer after taking a history class. I was 17 years old and a junior at Kenwood Academy. The course was called Law in American Society. We discussed a landmark supreme court case called Brown v. Board of Education which was decided in 1954. The ruling of the Supreme Court declared racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Thurgood Marshall argued the Brown decision before the Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall eventually became the first Black Supreme Court Justice. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college. My parents never attended college, but learning about Brown v. Board of Education inspired me, and began my journey to become an attorney. As a lawyer, I wanted to fight for justice and fairness for all people, and I believed that every person deserved equitable justice under the law.
In November 2025, I will have been a lawyer for 35 years. I have litigated cases in both state and federal courts, and state and federal administrative agencies. I have an extensive and diverse legal background which includes personal injury, workers’ compensation, labor and employment, contract law, traffic, housing, property damage, and criminal law. I was an Administrative Law Judge for 8 years with the Illinois Department of Employment Security hearing appeals on claims for unemployment benefits. Currently, I work for Cabrini Green Legal Aid where I provide free legal representation to individuals who cannot afford an attorney. I have been working for the people of Cook County for 35 years ensuring they are treated fairly, and their rights are protected.
I am involved in the community. I volunteer at the Malcolm X’s Driver’s License Reinstatement Expo, a partnership with the Pilsen Community and other communities. As an Expo attorney, I provide counseling and advice to individuals who have had their driver’s license revoked. I provide them with the next steps of getting their license reinstated.
I tutor with the Chicago Bar Association’s Lawyer’s Lend a Hand. I tutor children in underserved communities, teaching them reading, and math.
I am a volunteer attorney with the Chicago Bar Association’s Lawyers in the Classroom. Lawyers in the Classroom is a civic education initiative that connects attorney volunteers with second- to eighth-grade students in Chicago Public Schools to teach them about the Constitution, their rights, and the legal system.
I am a volunteer attorney with the federal court’s Settlement Assistance Program, providing pro bono legal assistance to guide people through settlement of their case.As a judge, I want to continue to serve the people of Cook County. I hope to bring diversity to the judiciary. With my diverse legal background, I will bring different legal experiences and perspectives that will allow me to make better informed decisions. As a judge, I will be committed to bring fairness and equitable justice for all, regardless of a person’s race or financial status, or where they live. I will always decide cases based on the facts and the law. In addition, I will bring life my experience. I have raised three successful children. Not only will I bring common sense, but compassion and insightful experience to make equitable decisions.
I have lived in the Beverly community for 37 years. I am married to John Somerville, and we raised our three children in Beverly. Over the years, I have volunteered at my church, St. Barnabas church as a Sacristan, volunteered as parent at my kid’s schools, St. Barnabas School, Sutherland, and Morgan Park Academy.
I have volunteered with BAPA home tours. I was a docent for the Ridge Historical Society and a member of Morgan Park Juniors. For years, I have participated in Beverly’s Mother’s Day Breast Cancer Walk with my family and friends, as I am a breast cancer survivor.
In my free time, I enjoy bike riding, traveling, and reading. In college, I was pretty fluent in French, but over the years not speaking the language has caused me to forget. So I have been relearning how to speak French on my own with Duolingo.
On March 17, 2026, I ask that your support and to vote for me as a Circuit Court Judge of Cook County in the 19th Subcircuit.
In November 2025, I will have been a lawyer for 35 years. I have litigated cases in both state and federal courts, and state and federal administrative agencies. I have an extensive and diverse legal background which includes personal injury, workers’ compensation, labor and employment, contract law, traffic, housing, property damage, and criminal law. I was an Administrative Law Judge for 8 years with the Illinois Department of Employment Security hearing appeals on claims for unemployment benefits. Currently, I work for Cabrini Green Legal Aid where I provide free legal representation to individuals who cannot afford an attorney. I have been working for the people of Cook County for 35 years ensuring they are treated fairly, and their rights are protected.
I am involved in the community. I volunteer at the Malcolm X’s Driver’s License Reinstatement Expo, a partnership with the Pilsen Community and other communities. As an Expo attorney, I provide counseling and advice to individuals who have had their driver’s license revoked. I provide them with the next steps of getting their license reinstated.
I tutor with the Chicago Bar Association’s Lawyer’s Lend a Hand. I tutor children in underserved communities, teaching them reading, and math.
I am a volunteer attorney with the Chicago Bar Association’s Lawyers in the Classroom. Lawyers in the Classroom is a civic education initiative that connects attorney volunteers with second- to eighth-grade students in Chicago Public Schools to teach them about the Constitution, their rights, and the legal system.
I am a volunteer attorney with the federal court’s Settlement Assistance Program, providing pro bono legal assistance to guide people through settlement of their case.As a judge, I want to continue to serve the people of Cook County. I hope to bring diversity to the judiciary. With my diverse legal background, I will bring different legal experiences and perspectives that will allow me to make better informed decisions. As a judge, I will be committed to bring fairness and equitable justice for all, regardless of a person’s race or financial status, or where they live. I will always decide cases based on the facts and the law. In addition, I will bring life my experience. I have raised three successful children. Not only will I bring common sense, but compassion and insightful experience to make equitable decisions.
I have lived in the Beverly community for 37 years. I am married to John Somerville, and we raised our three children in Beverly. Over the years, I have volunteered at my church, St. Barnabas church as a Sacristan, volunteered as parent at my kid’s schools, St. Barnabas School, Sutherland, and Morgan Park Academy.
I have volunteered with BAPA home tours. I was a docent for the Ridge Historical Society and a member of Morgan Park Juniors. For years, I have participated in Beverly’s Mother’s Day Breast Cancer Walk with my family and friends, as I am a breast cancer survivor.
In my free time, I enjoy bike riding, traveling, and reading. In college, I was pretty fluent in French, but over the years not speaking the language has caused me to forget. So I have been relearning how to speak French on my own with Duolingo.
On March 17, 2026, I ask that your support and to vote for me as a Circuit Court Judge of Cook County in the 19th Subcircuit.