[1][2] In 1984, Rice began attending Chicago's John Marshall Law School, earning her juris doctor in 1988 and being admitted to Illinois State Bar Association.
[1][2] In 1982 Rice was hired for a job in the Cook County State's Attorney office, first working as a victim/witness assistant.
[2][3] In November 2000, mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Rice to serve as Chicago City Treasurer, after Miriam Santos was forced to resign after pleading guilty to mail fraud.
[2][4] Rice was confirmed in a unanimous vote by the Chicago City Council and sworn into office on November 15, 2000.
[10] In 2014, Rice was elected to a vacant seat on the 7th subcircuit of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
[11] The runner-up, Jackson, was ultimately appointed to another seat on the 7th subcircuit on October 22, 2014, to which she would reelected in 2016, and serve on until retiring in 2018.
[12] The election was to the seat vacated by William H. Taylor II upon his 2012 appointment to the Illinois Appellate Court.
[7] In January 2013, Rice signed an open letter encouraging Illinois to legalize same-sex marriage.