On April 19, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts at the Illinois Supreme Court in Springfield announced the results of the balloting, which ended April 15.
According to the AOIC release, 13 candidates were selected for appointment, including three who have already been serving on the Cook County bench.
The three judges selected to remain in their current posts included: Judge Marc W. Martin, 55, of Park Ridge, who presides in the Third Municipal District in Rolling Meadows; and judges Jean M. Cocozza, 52, of Chicago, and James L. Kaplan, 72, of Glenview, who each preside in the Domestic Relations Division.
The county’s 249 judges who participated in the balloting selected 10 new associate judges, as well.
Those selected include: Sophia J. Atcherson, 44, of Chicago, affiliated with the Cook County Public Defender’s Office; George L. Canellis Jr., 46, of Orland Park, affiliated with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office; Vincenzo Chimera, 58, of Oak Lawn, affiliated with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office; Geraldine A. D’Souza, 49, of Chicago, affiliated with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office; Mohammed M. Ghouse, 42, of Hinsdale, in private practice at the Ghouse Law Office, of Bridgeview; Patrick J. Heneghan, 59, of Glenview, in private practice at Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP, of Chicago; Robert W. Johnson, 49, of Chicago, in private practice at Robert Johnson P.C., of Chicago; Mary C. Marubio, 46, of Chicago, affiliated with the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation; Edward N. Robles, 56, of Oak Park, affiliated with the Chicago Housing Authority; and Marita C. Sullivan, 58, of Oak Park, affiliated with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.
The approved associate judge candidates were selected from a list of 26 finalists certified by Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, which was in turn narrowed from a list of 283 candidates.
The new judges will serve terms expiring June 30, 2019.
According to information provided by the Chief Judge’s Office, the 10 new associate judges will receive assignments May 17 after completing the circuit’s New Judges Seminar. Most new judges are initially assigned to traffic court at the circuit’s First Municipal District, according to Evans’ office.
The judges will begin their terms June 1.
Evans said all of the candidates “possess backgrounds that demonstrate legal excellence and the potential to be fair and impartial adjudicators.”
“All of them also received positive ratings from the bar associations indicating that they will be ready to hit the ground running when they take the bench,” Evans said in a prepared statement.