Judge Gerardo Tristan, Jr. is a Cook County Circuit Judge in the Fourteenth Judicial Subcircuit. Judge Tristan was sworn in on January 11, 2019. He won his election in the November 2020 General Election. He is currently assigned to the First Municipal District. Prior to being appointed a judge, Judge Tristan, Jr., was an Assistant State’s Attorney serving Cook County, Illinois.

Judge Tristan, Jr. grew up in Brighton Park. He attended Quigley Preparatory Seminary South. He matriculated at Brown University and obtained an AB with a concentration in International Relations and Economics. While at Brown, he was an active member of the East Coast Chicano Student Forum (ECCSF), the Latin American Student Organization, and founded La Unidad Latina Lambda Upsilon Lambda fraternity. He returned to Brighton Park and was the community liaison for the Advanced Academic Achievement Program at Kelly H.S. After working for several years, he returned to Law School and graduated from DePaul University College of Law.

At the State’s Attorney’s Office, he served in the Civil Division, Juvenile Justice Bureau, and in the Felony Trial Division.

Judge Tristan, Jr. has been a member of several professional organizations, including the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, Hispanic Lawyer’s Association of Illinois, National Prosecutor’s Bar Association, and the National Hispanic Bar Association. He has held leadership positions in the Hispanic Lawyer’s Association of Illinois and National Hispanic Prosecutor’s Bar Association.

He has appeared for Career Days at the Cisneros School, Columbus East and Unity Junior High School in Cicero, Illinois, Cristo Rey High School, and Back of the Yards High School to encourage kids to reach for their dreams and achieve all they can through education.

Judge Gerardo Tristan, Jr. currently serves on the Depaul Law: Alumni Judges Committee