Joy V. Cunningham received her law degree from University of Illinois Chicago, John Marshall Law School. She has had a very diverse legal career, including serving as senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for the Northwestern Memorial Healthcare System; Cook County Associate Judge; Assistant Illinois Attorney General; Civil Litigator; Associate General Counsel of Loyola University; and first black woman President of the Chicago Bar Association, the nation’s largest municipal bar association. She was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 2006 and has served as chair of the Executive Committee as well as co-chair of the Diversity Committee of the Appellate Court for the First Judicial District. Justice Cunningham is a member of the well-respected American Law Institute. Justice Cunningham is active in judicial education and mentorship. She serves on a variety of not-for-profit boards and has been involved with organizations which educate and foster civic knowledge within the community at large. In December 2022, the Illinois Supreme Court selected Justice Cunningham to succeed retiring Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke. Justice Cunningham has served at all levels of the judiciary in the State of Illinois and has consistently received high marks in performing her duties as a judge.