Stymied by all those unfamiliar names at the bottom of your ballot? 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. He was a career assistant public defender who recently retired from that office. Repondents said Illinois had the least competent judges and worst quality of appellate review, while also failing to enforce "meaningful venue requirements" - meaning the courts allowed plaintiffs to sue in what the defendants considered to be the wrong county or state altogether. To aid Illinois voters in their responsibility to elect and retain judges, the Illinois State Bar Association provides public information about the qualifications of judicial candidates and judges seeking retention. While on the Appellate Court she served as a presiding judge and was a member of committees for the Illinois Judicial Conference and the Illinois Supreme Court. It was consistently reported by attorneys that his legal knowledge and ability is excellent, and he is able to grasp complex legal theories and understanding of the issues. Maureen Elizabeth Connors has been licensed since 1979. Since February 2017, he has been assigned to the Municipal Department in the Third District (Rolling Meadows) where he hears a variety of matters on a rotating basis. Tracie Porter has been licensed since 1994. Patrick Joseph Powers has been licensed since 1987. Before moving to the Fifth District in 2009, she was assigned to Child Protection and First Municipal, Traffic Division. She was a member of the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association, and a past recipient of the Court of Honor Award from Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Her assignments included Real Estate Tax Division, Corporate Transactions and Chancery. Repondents said Illinois had the least competent judges and worst quality of appellate review, while also failing to enforce meaningful venue requirements meaning the courts allowed plaintiffs to sue in what the defendants considered to be the wrong county or state altogether. Illinois is home to one of the worst pension crises in the country.1 At 39% funded, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, Illinois has the worst pension funding ratio of any state.2 . States like Illinois are pariahs to companies, Kim said. Race and Justice in Cook County Court. The court decision and his majority opinion in the 1857 Dred Scott v.Sandford case helped to bring on the American Civil War. Their findings are available at voteforjudges.org. The people who are assessing the judges, their interests may not necessarily align with the public that the judge is supposed to be serving, Nes said. The ISBA finds Judge LeRoy K. Martin recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Their rulings result in punishments and fines and their rulings stand until they are appealed and then reversed. Welcome to The Washington Post e-Replica! After serving as Cook County Public Guardian, he was elected to the Circuit Court in 2004, retained in 2010 and 2016. Patrick T. Murphy has been licensed since 1965. But most judicial candidates did not respond to the organizations questionnaire. He has been on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Judges Association and a speaker. Lyke, a former prosecutor and former defense attorney, was first elected to the bench in 2016. He is a member of several bar associations and a past president of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. Mary Jane Theis has been licensed since 1974. They say she is professional, diligent, organized, and prepared, with an excellent temperament. He is a past member of the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association, and also a past committee member and board member of the Cook County Bar Association. 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. The Committee finds Sanjay Tailor highly qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. In 2021 she was appointed to the circuit court and is currently assigned to the Sixth District (Markham). After rising to partner at Winston and Strawn, handling appeals, he was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2008 and elected in 2010. She has taught as an adjunct professor at DePaul and served as Vice-Chair of the Schiller DuCanto and Fleck Family Law Center there as well. He is currently the Treasurer of the Advocates Society and a committee member. Among neighboring states, Wisconsin ranked highest, at No. Mary Kathleen McHugh has been licensed since 1993. The ISBA finds Judge Steven A. Kozicki recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. She was a member of the River Forest Plan Commission from 1995 to 2008; is a member of various bar associations; and is active in community affairs. At Large judges are elected from the entire circuit, including from all of Cook County. For example, people who support controversial Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx are campaigning hard to toss Judge Michael P. Toomin from the ballot. Hooks is rated positively by all major Illinois bar groups except the Illinois State Bar Association. The ISBA finds Judge Kevin M. ODonnell recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Prior to ascending to the bench, she had served as an assistant states attorney and as Special Counsel to the State Comptroller. There are four Cook County Judges seeking retention who have the worst records when it comes to having their rulings reserved by the Appellate Court. The current list includes 1 top admin judge, 1 appellate judge, 3 superior court & 5 at the district/family court level. He served in many leadership positions in AFSCME Local 3315, the public defenders union, including president, vice-president, chief steward, and as a bargaining committee member. Nine attorneys and eight nonlawyers evaluated judges up for retention in Cook County in the 2010 and 2012 elections. For more information, the Cook County Clerk lists all of the 103 judges running for retention. ADULT STAR USES FAN FOR $$$! The nearly 30,000 state, county and municipal court judges handle a far bigger docket: more than 100 million new . In that ruling, the justices on the state high court expressed no concern over the potential costs to businesses, saying it was the point of the law to make businesses substantially liable for even technical violations. She has been assigned to Domestic Relations in the Third District (Rolling Meadows) since August 2018; her prior assignments include Domestic Violence and Traffic Court. Since 2018 she has been assigned to the Probate Division. Thaddeus L. Wilson has been licensed since 1994. He was appointed to the circuit court as a full judge in January 2021 and is currently the Presiding Judge of the County Division. The vast majority of attorneys described him as being smart and knowledgeable with an inclusive approach and high integrity. The Committee finds Thomas More Donnelly highly qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. While Chicago Appleseed concluded that the pilot project demonstrated the value of these more robust public judicial evaluations, it was discontinued in 2014 because of a lack of outside funding. After first being assigned to Traffic Court and then the Mortgage Foreclosure call in Chancery, in August 2018 she was transferred to her current assignment in General Chancery. She is currently assigned to the Chancery Division, General Chancery Section, after first sitting in several different First Municipal courts. The Committee finds Thomas E. Nowinski qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Some truly terrible judges have been re-upped repeatedly by voters who simply didnt have a clue. Fueled by a surge in class action lawsuits under a state biometrics privacy law, Chicagos courts have been ranked the least fair in the country in a nationwide survey of corporate lawyers, helping Illinois to secure the title of worst statewide legal system in the country, according to the survey. He was universally praised by attorneys for his legal knowledge and ability, they stated that he is always prepared for oral arguments and asks excellent questions. Personal PAC, Men4Choice, and Future Voices Council have Launched Jane's Army to Elect Illinois Pro-Choice Candidates in 2022! All reported that he is courteous, respectful, and hardworking. RELATED: 10 Best Reality Shows Of The '90s Popstars' format had the singer depend entirely on the judges' ruling, meaning Lythgoe had the final say . CHICAGO Illinois Republicans last controlled the state Supreme Court the same year the former John Hancock building opened along North Michigan Avenue, and the Chicago Cubs infamously blew the National League pennant. He is regarded by fellow attorneys as possessing exceptions legal skills, and being very inclusive and even keeled, with high integrity. We canvassed several thousand BayStaters to find the worst of the worst. Brendan A. OBrien has been licensed since 1996. Maps in North Carolina, Illinois, Texas and Alabama show the worst gerrymandering sins. He has an even-keeled temperament, high integrity, and issues well-reasoned opinions in a timely manner. He is considered by attorneys appearing before him to be a hard worker of high character who is extremely knowledgeable about the law, and skilled at keeping the focus of his courtroom the juveniles appearing there. Dorothea Renee Jackson has been licensed since 2006. Prior to joining her current firm, she had worked at various other firms with civil defense practices. For most judicial offices, ISBA will provide either an evaluation or a poll rating. She is a past president of the Appellate Lawyers Association, the Illinois Judges Association, and the Illinois Judges Foundation. In other words, it's been a long time. Attorneys gave favorable comments about his knowledge of the law in the areas he currently handles, and stated that he is even-tempered, efficient, and reasonable. wrongful convictions tied to disgraced former police detective Reynaldo Guevara, Ask an expert: Bar association ratings, explained, Rich told Injustice Watch leading up to the last general election, In 2020, Cook County voters cast ballots for judges in historic numbers, theres not enough transparency in the process, report from the Brennan Center for Justice. DuPage County Bar Announces Judicial Ratings and Recommendations for General Election. She also served for three years as an assistant states attorney before entering private practice. Early in his career he was a clerk for the Appellate Court and assistant public defender. Having the highest number of rulings reversed of any judge. The ISBA finds Justice Mary Jane Theis recommended for retention to the Illinois Supreme Court First District. He is currently assigned to the Juvenile Justice Division, with a dual assignment to the First Municipal Division Supporting Education and Employment Development (SEED) Court. She is described as respectful, fair, and diligent. Prior to that, he held various other government positions, including as Labor Counsel to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, Legal Counsel to the Assessor, Deputy Director of Labor Relations for the Cook County Board; he also served as an assistant states attorney for several years, and was Deputy Supervisor of Torts and Federal Civil Rights Litigation Unit of the Civil Actions Bureau. For more information, the Cook County Clerk lists all of the 103 judges running for retention. . He has taught as an adjunct professor, written on legal topics and been a committee member with the American Bar Association. He has a calm demeanor and is always on time. She is a member of various bar associations and has been a guest lecturer at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. However, judges who receive unfavorable ratings tend to receive fewer yes votes, even if they ultimately win reelection. She was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2015 and subsequently elected in 2016. She was named an associate judge in 2007, retained in 2011 and 2015. She has taught at judicial seminars. He is currently assigned to Domestic Relations in the Third District (Rolling Meadows). She is considered to be a fair person who treats all with respect. The ISBA finds Judge Patricia Spratt recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Remarkably, the Cook County Democratic Party which routinely urges a yes vote on all Democratic judicial candidates, regardless of performance is recommending a no vote on Coghlan. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 1980 and has been retained six times since then. 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. International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium, Chicago Wolves Noesen wins Presidents Award, Prominent producer to write screen adaptation of story on the fight against Thalassemia, Sheriff and District 230 honor students for public service hours, Chicagoan who invested in research to save children releases new book, Cook County Announces Call for Transportation and Community Grant Program Applications, Buckner unveils plan to help businesses and strengthen job, United offers endless airline travel problems for travelers. The Committee finds Ruth Isabel Gudino qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Attorneys praised his legal knowledge, fairness, work ethic, and demeanor. Why? Avalon Betts-Gaston, the organizations project manager, said bar association ratings of judicial candidates are compromised by an inherent conflict of interest lawyers holding back criticism of judges who they might later have to appear before, even if the feedback to the bar groups is anonymous. Hon. Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, / h a r m ju l s i z / HY-rm yoo-LISS-eez; April 27, 1822 - July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. But they are not like everyday candidates even though they are candidates on our election ballot. She was praised for her ethics and her commitment to diversity in her judicial appointments, as well as her demeanor and diligence. Tickets now available for Illinois Latino Judge Association Holiday Fiesta. The ISBA finds Judge Daniel J. Gallagher recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. The ISBA finds Judge Sandra G. Ramos recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. She is considered to be professional, courteous and to have high ethical standards. That undermines confidence in our criminal justice system. Founder, bioengineer, and Illinois Swim Team Captain Cara He is known as a hard worker who is fair and patient. 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. The ISBA finds Judge Jesse Outlaw recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Illinois court system ranked dead last, at 50th. Basically that means she lied, and probably to protect Smollett for political and even possibly racial reasons. So, when a judges ruling is reversed, it suggests there is something wrong. As voters prepare for the November 8, 2022 General Election, they have a field of candidates to consider for Federal, State and County offices, including a number of important judicial races. He was a private practitioner until his appointment to the Circuit Court in 2015 and subsequent election in 2016. She has been a speaker on legal topics and active in the Illinois Judges Association. These four judges had 100 cases ormore each before the Appellate Court based on their assignments. The Illinois Latino Judges Association Holiday Fiesta will take place on Thursday, December 8, from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m., at Mi Tierra Restaurant, 2528 S. Kedzie, Chicago. The ISBA finds Judge D. Renee Jackson recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. The Committee finds Nick Kantas qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Her first assignments were to First Municipal, both Traffic and Civil Trial Section, Non-jury. 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