On April 27, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker appointed retired Circuit Court Judge Edward Washington II to the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal. The appointment was for a vacant position, so it appears that Judges Brian F. Barov and James M. Conway will continue in their roles.
Edward Washington II was a judge of the 5th Subcircuit of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois from 2002 to 2017. He also served in the cabinet with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and on the Illinois Commerce Commission. Most recently, he was a member of Nixon Peabody’s Complex Commercial Disputes practice group in Chicago.
Judge Washington is the first administrative law judge appointed to the Tribunal by Governor Pritzker and will join Judge Barov and Chief Judge Conway, both of whom have been with the Tribunal since its inception in 2014. Although it is not clear if Judge Washington has “substantial knowledge of State tax laws” as required by the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal Act, 35 ILCS §1010/1-30, he does have an extensive judicial experience, serving as a Circuit Court Judge for fifteen years.