Judge Simms was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is a graduate of Hyde Park High School, and obtained a B.A. from the University of Illinois, Chicago with a major in Sociology and Political Science. She was appointed to the First Circuit Court, Twelfth Division, in May 1994. Prior to her appointment to the Circuit Court, Judge Simms served on the District Court from November 1991. She retired from the bench June 1, 2004.
She earned her Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University, College of Law in 1978. After graduating from the University of Illinois, she was employed as a flight attendant for United Airlines from 1972-1977. She and her husband Hank, moved to Hawai`i in 1979 upon his transfer with United Airlines. Her book Tales from the Bench: Essays on Life and Justice is a pioneer memoir about a neglected slice of Hawai`i judicial history. In this unique, insightful, and compelling book, written by the first African American woman judge in the Hawaiian Islands, Simms candidly reveals the cultural and political events and forces on the Mainland, and the diversity, crime, and social problems in the Islands that shaped her courage and commitment to justice.