Hon. George L. Canellis, Jr. is an associate judge for the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. He was elected to the Circuit Court by the Cook County Circuit judges in 2016.
While on the bench, Canellis has held an assignment in the Sixth Municipal Division of the Municipal Department.
He attended Arizona State University, where he received a B.A. in telecommunications in 1992. While pursuing his degree, Canellis worked as a sports radio producer for KTAR Radio in Phoenix, Arizona (1990 to 1991) and was a beat reporter for the Phoenix Suns with the National Basketball Association Radio Network (1990 to 1991). He went on to complete a J.D. at John Marshall Law School in 1996.
After graduating from law school, Canellis began his legal career as an assistant state’s attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. He first began in the Appellate Unit in 1996 before being assigned to the Juvenile Justice Bureau the following year. Then, in 2001, he was assigned to the Felony Trial Division, where he served until becoming a deputy supervisor in 2009.
Canellis continued to rise through the ranks, ultimately being named supervisor of Felony Review in 2015. As such, he was tasked with supervising other attorney’s within the office as they reviewed felony charges brought by law enforcement officers in Cook County. He also conducted training for assistant state’s attorneys and law enforcement personnel on subjects ranging from courtroom strategies to topics pertaining to criminal law. He remained with the State’s Attorney’s Office until joining the judiciary in 2016.
In 2013, Canellis was appointed to serve on the Illinois Child Death Review Team by the director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. He also served as a member of the Leadership Committee for MPEEC and was co-chair of the Hellenic Bar Association’s Mentoring Program.
Canellis received the Distinguished Service Award from the John Marshall Law School Alumni Association in 2015.