Susan F. Hutchinson was born on April 1, 1950, in Monmouth. She received her B.A. degree in political science from Quincy University in 1971 and her J.D. degree from DePaul University School of Law in 1977. She served as an Assistant State's Attorney in McHenry County (1977-81) and a Judge in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit (1981-94). In November 1994, she was elected as a Judge in the Appellate Court, Second District. Judge Hutchinson is a member of the Youth Service Bureau of McHenry County, the McHenry County and Illinois State Bar Associations, the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, the Illinois Judges' Association, the National Association of Women Judges and the Illinois Council of Juvenile and Family Judges. She is married to Steven McArdle and they have one son, Lee.