CHICAGO - The country's oldest association of African-American lawyers and judges has decried the most recent selection of associate judges to the Cook County Circuit Court for lack of diversity, saying the lack of new black judges means the county's bench is moving away from resembling the community it serves.
Cook County recently selected 17 new associate judges to serve as associate judges. However, only one of the lawyers selected was African-American.
On June 8, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, which oversees the associate judge selection process, announced Cook County circuit judges had selected attorney James A. Wright, of the firm of Chico & Nunes P.C., of Chicago, to fill the 17th open associate judge position in Cook County.
Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans
| cookcountycourts.org
Wright bested the only other African-American nominee among 34 finalists in this year's cycle, Levander Smith Jr., assistant deputy general counsel at the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, in a run-off election after the two men received the same number of votes in the initial round of balloting.
The number of African American jurists nominated and selected this year was too low, the Cook County Bar Association (CCBA).asserted in a statement issued in May.
The CCBA describes itself as the oldest association of African-American lawyers and judges in the U.S., having been in existence since 1914.
“The Cook County Bar Association is concerned and disappointed by the lack of African-American representation in the most recent class of Cook County associate judges,” the organization said in a press release.
The court said the selections were made by existing circuit judges until a group of 34 lawyers remained. The 17 new judges were chosen through a secret ballot process.
The CCBA said the consequences are greater than African Americans losing the opportunity to serve on the bench. The association said the paucity of black candidates could affect how justice is administered in Cook County.
In a statement responding to the CCBA's assertions, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans acknowledged the legitimacy of the CCBA’s concern without questioning the integrity of the election process.
“I certainly understand the concern of the latest associate judge selection process did not yield a more racially diverse group of judges,” Evans' office said in the statement.
However, Evans maintained that diversity was one of the primary objectives of the selection process, and it will continue to be so.
“We will continue to ensure that the names on the ballots reflect diversity of race, religion, gender and sexual orientation. The concept of justice requires it,” the statement said.
Additionally, Evans' office said the court discouraged allowing any dissatisfaction with the outcomes from clouding the public's opinion of the new judges.
“They all did exactly what we asked them to do in this process, and concerns about the results should not negatively reflect on our new judges who are all deserving of these positions," the statement said.