Jill-Ellyn Straus is a District Court Judge for the 17^th Judicial District. She was appointed to the bench in April of 2008 by Governor Ritter. Judge Straus spent 25 years with the 17^th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, specializing in crimes against children and juvenile delinquency. She graduated from the University of Illinois in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and graduated from the University Of Denver College Of Law in 1982.