Hon. Celestia L. Mays is a judge for the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2020.
During her tenure as a circuit judge, Mays has held an assignment in the Fourth Municipal District of the Municipal Department.
She also previously served as an associate judge of the Circuit Court.
Mays received a B.A. in political science and communications from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. She went on to complete a J.D. from the University of Detroit, Mercy School of Law in 1986.
Shortly after graduating from law school, she became a law clerk at Grant & Duncan in Los Angeles, California in 1987. Mays also clerked at the Law Offices of Melanie Lomax & Associates in Los Angeles (1988 to 1989), Mercer & Zinder in North Hollywood (1988 to 1991), and McIntosh, Schmidt & Long in Los Angeles (1991 to 1994).
Then, in 1994, after completing her clerkships, Mays joined Bourgeois and Bourgeois, where she practiced for three years as an associate until opening her own private practice in 1997. She remained in solo practice until joining the bench in 2019. Her areas of practice included family law, probate law, and residential real estate closings.
Mays served as a past president of the Cook County Bar Association and was deputy regional director and treasurer of Region VII of the National Bar Association.
Her hobbies include travel, golf, and baking.
Mays is registered as a Democrat.