Kane County 16th Judicial Circuit Elects New Chief Judge

The Circuit Judges of the 16th Judicial Circuit have announced the election of Elizabeth K. Flood as Chief Judge, effective Monday, December 7, 2026. 

She is only the third woman in Kane County history selected to serve as Chief Judge of the 16th Circuit. 

Kane County Circuit Judges appointed Judge Flood as an Associate Judge on January 25, 2013, and the Illinois Supreme Court elevated her to Circuit Judge on October 15, 2019, following the resignation of Justice Robert B. Spence. She was elected in November 2020 to her current term serving as an at-large Circuit Judge.

​Judge Flood began her legal career at the Kane County State's Attorney's Office (SAO), where she interned during law school. She served as an assistant state's attorney for 17 years in the criminal division, prosecuting in criminal and juvenile courtrooms for 7 years before moving to the civil division, where she represented the county and its officials in federal, state, and appellate courts for 10 years. 

As an Associate Judge, she presided over traffic and misdemeanor cases, bond calls, orders of protection, and forfeiture hearings. She later served as the first female Presiding Judge of the Family Court Division. Judge Flood currently serves in the Civil Law Division, presiding over chancery and miscellaneous remedy cases. 

Judge Flood graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana (BS Finance 1992) and the University of Illinois College of Law (J.D. 1995). ​

She will continue serving on the bench in civil court proceedings until assuming her role as Chief Judge in December.