Meet Peggy

Prior to being elected to serve as a Circuit Court Judge in DuPage County, Peggy O'Connell had served as a DuPage County State’s Attorney and as a Senior Assistant Attorney General at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. While in the private sector, Judge O'Connell practiced extensively in Federal courts, the Illinois Appellate Court, and the Illinois Supreme Court. While working in the Illinois Attorney General's Office, Peggy co-authored an Amicus Brief in the United States Supreme Court, and she was the Illinois Attorney General’s delegate for the Committee on Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation of the Elderly and Persons With Disability.

Judge O'Connell has also worked in the private sector as an attorney practicing in the areas of family law, divorce, criminal defense, and juvenile defense. She also served as a court-certified Guardian ad Litem for numerous counties.

In 2020, Peggy O'Connell was the first woman and the first Democrat who was elected directly from the private sector to serve as a Circuit Court Judge. Since being elected, she has served in the Felony Division of the DuPage County Courthouse. Currently, she is the Presiding Judge of the Felony Division, where she oversees six felony courtrooms, the first appearance courtroom, and drug court. Judge O'Connell was recently appointed to serve as an alternate member of the Illinois Courts Commission.