Jay Ukena Re-Elected As Lake County's Chief Judge

WAUKEGAN, IL — Chief Judge Jay Ukena was unanimously re-elected as chief judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit in Lake County by fellow judges, the court announced Monday. The Wadsworth resident has been both a prosecutor and a defense attorney in his career. He spent 29 years in private practice, and he has also represented Lake Zurich and the city and township of Waukegan.

“I am humbled and honored to have the support and confidence of colleagues to serve as chief judge. They are dynamic judges, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to serve with each of them, along with the staff of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit,” Ukena said, in a release.

Ukena was first elected to the a circuit judge in the 1st Subcircuit in November 2008 and began his career as a Lake County judge in the family division the following February. Starting in 2014, he presided over all felony traffic matters before beginning his first term as chief judge in January 2018.

“I am excited about being able to see to completion significant projects that we are undertaking at this time, such as the opening of a new court tower and the selection of a new state-of-the-art case management system," said Ukena, who is set to begin his second term as Lake County's top jurist on Jan. 2, 2019.