garman was assigned to the appellate court, fourth district, in july 1995. she was elected to the position in november 1996. she was appointed to the supreme court of illinois on february 1, 2001, and elected to the court on november 5, 2002. she was retained by the voters in 2012 for a term that ends in 2022. while on the supreme court, garman also established a special committee on child custody issues and still serves as its liaison.