Attorneys praised his legal knowledge, especially in the area of medical malpractice which was his practice area before his election as a judge. She has been assigned to Chancery since January 2019. Many voters vote No on all the judges not to hurt the judges but to help campaigns take out bad judges that have been targeted by groups angry with rulings. Hon. It commonly takes years to act against judges who violate the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct, and the punishment seldom is more than a public reprimand, Injustice Watchs first investigation found. Cook County Circuit Judge Timothy Evans, a consummate politician who served for years on Chicago's City Council, faces a retention race this November but first his peers will . We asked an expert to explain them. Resident judges are chosen by the electorate of the county or circuit in which they reside, or . The ISBA finds Judge Brendan A. OBrien recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Here's how you know She currently sits in the Law Division, Motion Section. The Seed Court is a diversion court for defendants between 18-26 charged with drug offenses. For more information, the Cook County Clerk lists all of the 103 judges running for retention. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2004 and retained in 2010 and 2016. She lectures often on legal topics and is the recipient of several awards, including the May Heftl Hooton Award from the Womens Bar Association in 2018, the Judicial Service Award from the Northwest Suburban Bar Association in 2019, and she was named the 2022 Celt of the Year by the Celtic Legal Society. Anna Maria Loftus has been licensed since 1998. She had been with the SAO since 2001; prior to that she worked for the Cook County Public Guardian and the United Auto Workers Legal Services Plan, as well as another stint as an assistant states attorney. Polito retired from the bench in July this year and is now collecting a monthly pension of $6,415.78. While almost 20 states, including New Mexico, Missouri, Utah, and Alaska, use whats called a performance commission model of judicial evaluation, Colorado has won a reputation as a model of how best to evaluate the performance of judges. She was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2014 and elected in 2016 after a career as a prosecutor. Before that he served in various First Municipal assignments, including Traffic, Domestic Violence and Criminal Misdemeanor, as well as in the Fifth District (Bridgeview). Lawyers contacted described her as possessing exceptional legal knowledge and ability, with integrity that is beyond reproach. For the year 2015 there were 1001 circuit court judges, and 54 appellate court judges. On Sept. 18, the U.S. Chambers Institute for Legal Reform released its 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey: Ranking the Statesreport. She has been a speaker and has participated in committees for the Cook County Bar Association and the Illinois Judicial Council. Out of the 61 judges up for retention in Cook County in the Nov. 8 elections, for instance, all but four were recommended for another term by all the bar associations. Thomas J. Maloney (1925-2008) was a judge in Cook County, Illinois who served from 1977 until his indictment for bribery in 1991. The lawsuits have particularly surged in the wake of an Illinois Supreme Court ruling, which determined plaintiffs dont need to prove they suffered any real harm from such biometric scans before they can sue. He has been a speaker or moderator on legal topics both in-person and virtually. He was appointed to the circuit court as a full judge in January 2021 and is currently the Presiding Judge of the County Division. Another 1st District judge, current Chief Justice Anne Burke, is retiring. Hon. Unlike Colorado, Illinois voters rejected an amendment to the states constitution in 1970 to create judicial nominating commissions that would have recommended candidates for appointment to the bench by the governor. Their findings are available at voteforjudges.org. So, we just shrug our shoulders and skip them on the ballot, which is a real injustice if you ask me. For context, she adds, Judge Demacopoulos is at 11 percent and she has had the highest number of cases before the Appellate Court. The caller may leave a voicemail message at this number, including the telephone number where he or she can be reached. Injustice Watch is a nonpartisan, nonprofit journalism organization that conducts in-depth research exposing institutional failures that obstruct justice and equality. Ruth Isabel Gudino was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1995. He is currently assigned to the Law Division. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2015 and retained in 2016. A wide range of business sizes and industries have come under fire from these class actions, most recently even including The Salvation Army, hospitals and casinos. Nine attorneys and eight nonlawyers evaluated judges up for retention in Cook County in the 2010 and 2012 elections. Dallas County judge: Condition of U.S. nurse Pham . ADULT STAR USES FAN FOR $$$! Hon. The ISBA finds Judge Freddrenna M. Lyle recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Mary K. O'Brien has deep financial ties to the Madigan . Attorneys appearing before her spoke highly of her as a judge stating that she does the right research when needed, is patient and diligent. Mary Jane Theis has been licensed since 1974. Others critical of how judges are elected or retained in Illinois say the evaluations ignore the voice of the larger community and have an inherent conflict of interest by relying on primarily lawyers opinions. He was a private practitioner who focused on local government and election law. Attorneys and judges reported that she is a very well-versed jurist who issues thorough and even-sided opinions. Hon. Here's Who's on Your Ballot For the Illinois Primary Election 2022. Hon. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016 and has been sitting in the County Division since 2018, after first being assigned to First Municipal Division, Traffic Court. The former NFL running back plead guilty to attacking Kristin Evans, the mother of his child, in mid-August 2021, when he allegedly became angry over . She is currently assigned to the Municipal Department, Fifth District (Bridgeview). Terrence Joseph Lavin has been licensed since 1983. He has taught, written, and spoken on legal topics, and served as an adjunct professor at John Marshall Law School. He is a past president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild and has served as a Board member of the Illinois Judges Association. 1821 Walden Office Square Suite 400, Schaumburg, IL 60173. Bonita Coleman has been licensed since 1992. She does not report having any jury trial experience, and some non-jury trials from early in her career. The Illinois system of disciplining judges first was enacted in 1970, after two state Supreme Court Justices, Ray Klingbiel and Roy J. Solfisburg Jr., fell under scrutiny for having acquired shares in a new Chicago bank just before they took part in deciding a case in favor of one of the banks executives. Freddrenna M. Lyle has been licensed since 1980. Click here for more information. Critics of the Colorado model say theres not enough transparency in the process and note that the commissions still find that most judges meet performance standards. After first sitting in First Municipal, Traffic Division, in October 2018 he moved to his current assignment I the Municipal Department in the Third District (Rolling Meadows) where he hears a variety of matters. It is the 10th most dangerous place to live in Illinois, which is why it makes it onto the list of the worst places to live in Illinois. Attorneys reported that she knows the law and Rules of Evidence, and praised her sensitivity, in particular her patience with pro se litigants. She is a past president of the Puerto Rican Bar Association and was a Board member of the Illinois Judges Association and Illinois Latino Judges Association. On one hand they have to remain non-partisan and be fair, which is something that is impossible to do in Cook County and in any election. He has a reputation as a person of great integrity who listens, is always prepared, and treats all with respect. Cook County Circuit Judge Matthew Coghlan has come under scrutiny for his alleged role as a prosecutor in the wrongful convictions of Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez for a 1993 slaying. After working in private practice and representing the 6th Ward in the Chicago City Council for thirteen years, she was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2011, re-appointed in 2014, then elected in 2016. Hon. The write-ups and recommendations are posted online and mailed to every registered voter household in the states Blue Book, a ballot information booklet. Some truly terrible judges have been re-upped repeatedly by voters who simply didnt have a clue. 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When a judge makes a ruling, we cant call her friends and pals and complain, the way she can through hired political guns like Hanah Jubeh who represents many of the judges and who was named in 2015 by Crains as one of the states 20 most powerful political influencers. She is a past president of the Illinois Judges Association, the Illinois Bar Foundation and the Womens Bar Association and served as a section chair for the Illinois State Bar Association. She has some civil jury trial experience, has handled some appeals and substantial quasi-litigation experience. In January 2019 he returned to the Criminal Division. He was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2008, elected in 2010 and retained in 2016. After a career in private practice with different litigation firms, she was elected to the Circuit Court in 2008. She is past president of the Illinois Judicial Council, a former board member of the Illinois Judges Association and has been chair of various committees of the Cook County Bar Association. He also lectures on legal topics and has bar association involvement. How are you supposed to cast an informed vote? The ISBA finds Judge Matthew Link recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Eve Marie Reilly has been licensed since 1997. The ISBA finds Judge Terry MacCarthy recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. He is a former Board president of the Family Defense Center NKAA Ascent Justice. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. She is currently assigned to the Law Division Trial Section, after a previous assignment in Child Protection. She currently holds a dual assignment in the Chancery Division, Mortgage Foreclosure/Mechanics Lien section, and the Juvenile Justice Division, where she presides over the North Lawndale Restorative Justice Community Court, an assignment she was given in 2019. Editor's note: The Record publications are owned by the Institute for Legal Reform. Williams B. Sullivan was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1992. He has been sitting in the Child Protection Division since 2017. The group says she can be insensitive to criminal defendants and issues very harsh sentences compared to other judges. Judges directly run hundreds of . The organization is headed by Foxxs close political ally. The ISBA finds Judge James L. Allegretti recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Shes paid to do a job, just like all of us. Previous assignments include Child Support and Felony Trial. Patricia Susan Spratt was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1991. Attorneys describe him as having an encyclopedic knowledge of substantive law, unflappable, always prepared, and a straight shooter. Hon. Susana L. Ortiz has been licensed since 2001. All attorneys contacted praised her legal knowledge and ability, thoroughness, sensitivity, temperament, and integrity. Maureen ODonoghue Hannon has been licensed since 1991. The Committee finds Bernadette Barrett qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. He was generally described as fair, honest, and respectful. Many attorneys praised his legal knowledge and ability, stating that he understands the issues in complex matters and has a good sense of justice. Hon. Brendan A. OBrien has been licensed since 1996. The ISBA finds Judge Daniel Malone recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. The ISBA finds Judge Kathleen Marie Burke recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. By Dave McKinney. 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