Injustice Watch's nonpartisan guide to the November 2022 Cook County judicial elections. Theis is slated to be the next chief justice, a rotating position. He was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2009, elected in 2010 and retained in 2016. Northern District of Illinois Historical Association. He was a private practitioner who focused on local government and election law. The Illinois average for winning a disability hearing is 44%. The Committee finds Bradley R. Trowbridge qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. 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 ISBA finds Judge Carrie E. Hamilton recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. They just shrug and vote yes (or no) on all of them. He served as presiding judge of Domestic Relations and the Law Division before being elected Chief Judge in 2001, a position he has recently been elected to for an eighth term. This year, 59 Cook County Circuit Court judges are seeking retention. Before that he served in various First Municipal assignments, including Traffic, Domestic Violence and Criminal Misdemeanor, as well as in the Fifth District (Bridgeview). The Committee finds Bernadette Barrett qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. He was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2002, elected in 2004, retained in 2010 and 2016. 2.NFL star Zac Stacy is jailed over attacks on ex girlfriend DailyMail - NFL star Zac Stacy has been sentenced to six months in jail and one year of probation by a judge in Orange County, Florida for two separate attacks on his ex-girlfriend.. In addition, he has lectured at law schools and written on legal topics and is active in community organizations. Hon. But I do have an issue with Demacopolous. 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. The ISBA finds Judge Daniel Patrick Duffy recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. This year, Justice Mary Jane Theis one of the three Illinois Supreme Court judges from the 1st District is up for retention. But most judicial candidates did not respond to the organizations questionnaire. an open-door policy for predatory lawsuit loans and the litigation climate contributes to the state being one of the worst for doctors. From 2009 until 2016, she was assigned to the Criminal Division in the Second District (Skokie). Hon. Kurt P. Klein of DeKalb County became an associate judge in 1995, and was appointed to an open circuit judge seat in 2001. In 2014 she was given the Cook County Special Advocate Volunteer Spirit Award. So, we just shrug our shoulders and skip them on the ballot, which is a real injustice if you ask me. She has been assigned to Domestic Relations in the Sixth District (Markham) since 2011, after first sitting in Traffic Court. Attorneys praised her thoroughness, thoughtful opinions, fairness, high integrity, and temperament. Daniel Malone has been licensed since 1986. However, judges who receive unfavorable ratings tend to receive fewer yes votes, even if they ultimately win reelection. 17. He was selected as an associate judge in 2007 and served almost exclusively in Chancery until his election to the Appellate Court in 2012. In 1988 she was elected to the Circuit Court, where she was assigned to the Criminal and Chancery Divisions. Aileen Bhandari was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2002. The ISBA finds Judge Thomas J. Kelley recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Attorneys praised her knowledge of the law, high integrity, judicial temperament, and fairness. Hon. Quickly add and highlight text, insert pictures, checkmarks, and icons, drop new fillable fields, and rearrange or delete pages from your document. Thomas V. Lyons has been licensed since 1987. Clare Elizabeth McWilliams has been licensed since 1988. Attorneys appearing before her spoke highly of her as a judge stating that she does the right research when needed, is patient and diligent. Editor's note: The Record publications are owned by the Institute for Legal Reform. The ISBA finds Judge Patrick Joseph Powers recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Twenty-two district commissions spread throughout Colorado evaluate county and district court judges, while a separate state commission evaluates judges on the appellate courts and state supreme court. He is also known to be impartial, ethical, and diligent. He was a career assistant public defender who recently retired from that office. Charles Charlie Beach has been licensed since 1996. David L. Kelly has been licensed since 2001. Kelly Marie McCarthy - Cook County . Attorneys commented on her ability to manage her court call, and to apply the law to the facts and give a good explanation of her ruling. Most of us dont have any feelings about judges at all, until we come before judge for any of a million reasons involving the law, speeding tickets, and more. The ISBA finds Judge Maureen ODonoghue Hannon recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. From 2000 to 2002 she worked for the Legal Assistance Foundation; from 2002 until her appointment, she was an assistant corporation counsel to senior counsel in the Appeals Division. The threat of suit under the BIPA law has persuaded some companies to refuse to sell some of their products there, said Harold Kim, chief operating office of the Chamber Institute for Legal Reform, in a prepared statement. 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. Pursuant to ISBA guidelines, Judge Collins is found to be not recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. 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. Patrick Joseph Powers has been licensed since 1987. Having the highest number of rulings reversed of any judge. The ISBA finds Justice Maureen Elizabeth Connors recommended for retention to the Illinois Appellate Court First District. He was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2008, elected in 2010, and retained in 2016. South Dakota had been ranked No. The ISBA finds Judge Timothy C. Evans recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Attorneys appearing before him gave him high marks for his legal knowledge and abilities, and his ability to think outside the box and find creative solutions. He is active with other judicial organizations and has lectured on legal topics and taught at Loyola. The Committee finds Sanjay Tailor highly qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Attorneys consider him to be professional, civil and fair. Community feedback really should be a bigger part of the evaluation process, he said. As noted, and as was reported in the press at the time, Judge Hooks was referred to anger management counseling by the Executive Committee when he was reassigned temporarily to administrative duties in 2018 upon being accused by another judge of creating a hostile work environment outside of the courtroom. Bar association evaluations are a volunteer effort that have to be conducted in a relatively short period of time, Rich told Injustice Watch leading up to the last general election. He has been on the Board of Chicagos Theological Seminary and Claremont McKenna College and was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award by Claremont McKenna in 2019. This page is designed to be viewable on your phone, but a printable summary of the ratings is also available. The Seed Court is a diversion court for defendants between 18-26 charged with drug offenses. After a career as a United States Attorney, including as Deputy Chief of the Public Corruption Section, she was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2015 and elected in 2016. For example, people who support controversial Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxx are campaigning hard to toss Judge Michael P. Toomin from the ballot. Attorneys reported that, while due to the nature of her job, they had limited experience observing her legal knowledge and ability, within the confines of her current role, she did have good knowledge of, especially with the effects of proposed legislation. Polito retired from the bench in July this year and is now collecting a monthly pension of $6,415.78. Give credit to the original source. Attorneys praised her legal ability, and her commitment to eliminating bias. He currently serves on the faculty of the National Judicial College. He is on the board of the Illinois Youth Soccer Association. In the Tenth Edition of the Directory of State Judges, we have utilized Council judicial evaluations from 1986 through December 2020. Hon. Hon. Illinois had the third most federal criminal convictions for public corruption between 1976 and 2012, behind New York and California.A study published by the University of Illinois Chicago in 2022 ranked Illinois as the second . She also serves as Acting Presiding Judge when the Presiding Judge is unavailable. On December 9, 2020, as they do every three years, the judges and staff at the DuPage County Judicial Center welcomed a new Chief Judge from among their ranks, the HonorableKenneth L. Popejoy.The 20th judge to ever hold that position, Judge Popejoy is uniquely suited to the job - and not just because he knows DuPage County's . He is also a United States Marine Corps veteran and received the Hon. Attorneys regard her as an outstanding jurist who knows civil and criminal law in great depth, asks thoughtful questions, and writes detailed opinions. Judge Candace J. Beason. Boles, now the presiding judge of the Civil Division of the Kane County court, is the Republican candidate and a St. Charles resident. Hon. printable summary of the ratings is also available. He is currently assigned to the Chancery Division, Mortgage Foreclosure/Mechanics Lien Section. Attorneys praised his legal knowledge, especially in the area of medical malpractice which was his practice area before his election as a judge. He currently serves as the Presiding Judge in the Probate Division, after being appointed Acting Presiding Judge in 2019. While attorneys agreed that she knows the law, writes well thought out opinions and is hard-working, substantial concerns were raised about her judicial temperament and demeanor. He is always prepared and issues thorough and well-reasoned opinions. She was elected to the Circuit Court. According to the report, those surveyed indicated the litigation environment in the U.S. has generally improved in 2019, as it has each year since the survey was first issued in 2002. He was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2015 and elected in 2016. 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. She also served for three years as an assistant states attorney before entering private practice. . Potential damages from such actions could amount to $1,000-$5,000 per violation, which some legal observers have asserted could be defined as each time an employee scans their fingerprint. The ISBA finds Judge Thomas V. Lyons recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Before moving to the Fifth District in 2009, she was assigned to Child Protection and First Municipal, Traffic Division. The report noted, for instance, that 92% of all plaintiffs filing asbestos-related lawsuits in Illinois come from out of state. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our public service journalism emailed directly to you. Attorneys uniformly described her legal knowledge and ability as excellent. In one of the worst rulings our legal team @NFGR_Official has ever witnessed, a Bush-appointed judge defied both the Supreme Court's Bruen ruling and the Second Amendment by upholding Illinois' "Assault Weapons" Ban. William Hooks has been licensed since 1981. Now you can read The Washington Post e-Replica anytime, anywhere. Somejudges have zero cases appealed because of their given assignment. 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. 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. Ms. Ryan reports that she has tried eight civil jury trials. He was appointed as an associate judge in 1997 with assignments in the Chancery Division hearing mortgage foreclosure maters, and elected to the Circuit Court in 2008, and elected to the Appellate Court in 2012. Justices chose Appellate Judge Joy Cunningham to replace her starting . She was an assistant public defender until she was selected as an associate judge in 1983. She received high praise for her integrity and her sensitivity towards the many diverse people that appear before her, include those appearing pro se. . 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