Teresa Molina has been appointed as an at-large Cook County circuit judge.

The appointment is effective July 24 and will conclude on Dec. 7, 2020, following the November 2020 general election.

Molina has served as chief of real estate prosecutions for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation since 2016. In that role, she supervises a team of seven that prosecutes violations of licensing laws in real estate, appraisals, home inspections, auctions, and community association managers. She served as an assistant state’s attorney for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for 15 years, spending 2009 to 2016 in the felony trial division, where she managed a caseload of over 300 felony cases and prosecuted 27 felony jury trials.

Molina earned her bachelor’s degree from Ashland University and her Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. She was the recipient of The Ohio State University 2000 Hispanic Leadership Award.