Mary Seminara Schostok recently was sworn in as a full circuit judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit of Lake and McHenry Counties by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Bob Thomas.
Schostok, who has been an associate judge since May 1998 and who has presided over cases in Domestic Violence Court since last March, will hear felony court cases beginning Feb. 26.
Schostok attended Youngstown State University and received her law degree in 1986 from the Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio.
She practiced bankruptcy law in Pennsylvania from November 1986 through the summer of 1987, when she joined the Allegheny County public defender’s office.
Later that year, Schostok passed the Illinois Bar. In 1988 she became an assistant state’s attorney in Lake County and held that job until May 1998.
During her tenure, she served as chief of the Special Investigations Division and chief of the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Schostok, of Libertyville, will preside over cases in Courtroom 202.