Editor's note: This article was first published at Illinoispolicy.org
On Nov. 8, Illinoisans will vote for important judge positions, including three Illinois Supreme Court justices and 16 appellate court judges. Their decisions impact daily life, yet about 25% of voters leave their ballots blank when they get to the judges.
From traffic tickets to divorce proceedings to the constitutionality of mask mandates in the state, the decisions made by state judges often have the most direct impact on the daily lives of Illinoisans.
Although voters elect these judges, confusion about the rules of judicial elections and the lack of information about specific candidates can leave these important races unnoticed. In Cook County, about one-quarter of voters leave the judicial portion of their ballots blank.
Below, you will find more information about how judicial elections work in Illinois, as well as information about candidates that will appear on the ballot Nov. 8.
Three levels of courts in Illinois
There are three levels to the judicial system in Illinois.
The lowest level of the judiciary is the circuit court, which includes 24 circuit courts in the state.
Circuit court decisions can be appealed to the Illinois Appellate Court. There are five judicial districts in Illinois from which the appellate and Supreme Court judges in Illinois are selected.
The final and highest-level court in the state is the Illinois Supreme Court. The state supreme court hears appeals from the lower courts and has original jurisdiction over some specific cases such as those involving revenue. The current makeup of the Illinois Supreme Court consists of four Democratic and three Republican justices.
Elections and retentions
Judicial candidates in Illinois running for the first time are registered with a political party. Like legislative elections, judicial candidates first run against other candidates from the same party in the primary election. After the primary election, the winning candidates of each partisan primary will face each other on the general election ballot Nov. 8. The judge that wins the majority of votes in the general election is elected to office.
Illinois Supreme Court justices and the Illinois Appellate Court judges are elected for 10-year terms while circuit court judges have six-year terms.
After a judge has served his or her first term, they can ask voters to keep them on the bench. This retention election determines whether the judge will serve another term in office. Unlike the general election where judicial elections are placed on the general ballot, retention elections are placed on a separate, special judicial ballot. These special ballots do not list the candidate’s party affiliation or feature an opposing candidate; it simply asks a “yes” or “no” question of whether the judge should be retained for another term in office. Judges must receive 60% of the vote to stay on the bench. Judges can run for retention an unlimited number of times.
Vacancies
Illinois is the only state where state Supreme Court vacancies are filled by the court itself. In the case of a vacancy, the court appoints an interim justice who serves until the next primary election. The interim justice must then run for the office in a partisan election or leave office.
Judicial districts
Illinois Supreme Court justices are selected at the level of the judicial district. Three justices are selected from Judicial District 1, which consists entirely of Cook County. The rest of Illinois is divided into four other districts, Judicial Districts 2, 3, 4, and 5. Each of these districts gets to vote for one justice on the Supreme Court. Appellate Court judges are also selected based on these five districts. Circuit court judges are selected from 24 subdivisions of the five appellate districts, known as circuits.
In 2021, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill that changed the boundaries of the state’s judicial districts. This is the first time this map has been changed since it was established in 1964. The redistricting was met with controversy as Republican state lawmakers claimed the new map would guarantee a Democratic majority in the Illinois Supreme Court after Justice Thomas Kilbride, a Democratic judge, in 2020 became the first Illinois Supreme Court justice to lose a retention election.
Candidate guide
Voters are often at a loss when choosing which candidates to elect or reject. News media organizations rarely cover a judge’s record and judicial candidates tend not to take public positions on important issues that may come before them, resulting in little to no campaigning in these races. Below is a guide to candidates running for appellate and supreme court positions in Illinois, their party affiliations, endorsements, donations as reported to the Illinois State Board of Elections and records on a selection of cases that may be of interest to Illinois voters.
1st District Illinois Supreme Court Justice (retention)
Mary Jane Theis (incumbent Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- AFL-CIO
- Illinois Federation of Teachers
- Planned Parenthood
- AFSCME 31 PAC ($15,000) | 2012
- 25th, 38th, 41st, 44th Ward Democratic Organizations ($10,800 total) | 2012
- Citizens for Reilly (Chicago Vice Mayor Brendan Reilly’s campaign fund) ($9,523) | 2012
- Pipe Fitters Association ($10,000) | 2012
- Cook County Democratic Party ($30,000) | 2011-2012
- Mary Jane Theis concurred with the majority decision in Jones v. Municipal Employees, striking down Chicago pension reform.
Elizabeth Rochford (D) v. Mark Curran (R)
Elizabeth Rochford (Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- AFL-CIO
- Illinois Federation of Teachers
- Illinois Pipe Trades Association
- State Sen. Kimberly Lightford (D)
- Former State Sen. John Cullerton (D)
- Illinois Federation of Teachers COPE ($59,900) | Received 6/9/22
- LIUNA Chicago PAC ($59,900) | Received 4/12/22
- UFCW Local 881 PAC ($59,900) | Received 9/21/21-3/31/22
- Illinois Pipe Trades PAC ($50,000) | Received 5/27/22
- Friends of Edward M. Burke ($5,100) | 2005-2018
Notable endorsements:
- None
- Illinois GOP ($20,810.60) | 2018
- Local No. 150 IUOE PAC ($3,400 total) | 2011-2018
- Friends of Terry Link ($2,250) | 5/25/06-9/21/06
- Illinois GOP ($11,000) | 2018
- Lake County Republican Federation ($21,650) | 2009-2019
Mary K. O’Brien (D) v. Michael J. Burke (R)
Mary K. O’Brien (Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- Illinois AFL-CIO
- AFSCME Council 31
- Coalition of Frontline Police Officers
- Illinois Federation of Teachers
- Illinois Education Association
- Planned Parenthood Illinois Action (PPIA)
- S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D)
- S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D)
- Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza
- Illinois Education Association I.P.A.C.E. ($159,900) | 5/24/22-9/20/22
- Illinois Federation of Teachers COPE ($459,900) | 12/29/21-10/19/22
- Illinois Pipe Trades Association ($50,000) | 6/21/22
- Citizens for Sara Feigenholtz ($30,000) | 9/30/21-10/14/22
- AFSCME Council 31 ($70,000) | 9/17/22- 10/18/22
- Friends of Michael J. Madigan ($3,350 total) |2005-2010
Notable endorsements:
- Illinois Chamber of Commerce PAC
- IL Fraternal Order of Police
- Safe Suburbs USA PAC
- Former Justice Bob Thomas
- Former Justice Lloyd Karmeier
- Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin (R)
- Illinois Senate Minority Leader Dan McConchie (R)
- Former Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger
- Illinois Chamber PAC ($30,000) | 6/13/22-10/21/22
- Ozinga for Illinois ($25,000) | 12/17/21
- DuPage GOP Central Committee ($4,700 total) | 2002-2022
- Dissented in Austin v. Pritzker – Judge Michael J. Burke would have granted restraining order against school’s mask and vaccine mandates; written dissent linked here.
Terrence J. Lavin (incumbent Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Judge Judy Cates ($5,000) | 2011
- Citizens for Tully ($2,500) (Chaired by Chicago Property Tax Attorney Thomas M. Tully) | 2011
- Various trial attorneys
- Friends of Blagojevich ($39,000) | 2001-2007
- Cook County Democratic Party ($35,000) | 2011
- Illinois Trial Lawyers Association ($20,000) | 2005-2008
- Friends of Edward M. Burke ($4,500) | 2011-2017
- Friends of Michael J. Madigan ($5,000) | 1994
- Citizens for Carrie M. Austin ($250) | 2011
- Concurred in Keating v. City of Chicago, upholding Chicago red light camera ordinance.
Jesse G. Reyes (incumbent Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Committee to Elect Anne M. Burke ($18,157.81 total) | 2007-2008
- Friends of Omar Aquino ($1,000) | 3/5/20
- Various trial attorneys
- Cook County Democratic Party (approximately $60,000 total) | 2007-2018
- Citizens for Lisa Madigan ($2,030 totalI) | 1997-2008
Mathias W. Delort (incumbent Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Committee to Elect Larry Rogers Jr. ($1,000) | 2012
- Various trial attorneys
- Cook County Democratic Party ($30,200) | 2008-2012
James Fitzgerald Smith (incumbent Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Committee to Elect Joel Kessler ($200) | 2002
- Cook County Democratic Party ($1,500) | 2002
Maureen Connors (incumbent Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Cook County Teachers Union ($500) | 2011
- 11th Ward Democratic Organization ($500) | 2013
- Citizens for Tully ($3,200) | 2000-2011
- Cook County Democratic Party ($30,000) | 2012
- Dissented in Jussie Smollett case. Connors said she would have denied motion for Smollett to be released on $150,000 bond.
Nathaniel R. Howse (incumbent Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Citizens for Pat Dowell ($750) | 2019-2020
- Preckwinkle for President: ($2,600) | 2010-2018
- Lightfoot for Chicago ($1,000) | 2012-2019
- Campaign funds associated with Chicago Ald. Carrie Austin ($6,000) | 2014-2021
1st District Illinois Appellate Court (Partisan Election)
Debra B. Walker (D) is running unopposed.
1st District Illinois Appellate Court (Special Election)
Raymond W. Mitchell (D) is running unopposed.
2nd District Illinois Appellate Court (Retention)
Joseph C. Birkett (Incumbent Republican)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Citizens for Judy Baar Topinka ($300,000+) | 2006
- National Republican Congressional Committee ($100,000) | 2002
- Dick Portillo and Portillo’s Hot Dogs ($130,000+) | 2002-2010
- James Pritzker Political Participation Fund ($100,000+) |2002-2009
- DuPage County Republican Central Committee ($21,480) | 1999-2012
Christopher M. Kennedy (D) v. Susan Clancy Boles (R)
Christopher M. Kennedy (Democrat, not to be confused with Christopher G. Kennedy)
Notable endorsements:
- AFL-CIO of Illinois
- Illinois Council of Police
- Illinois Federation of Teachers
- AFSCME Council 31
- Personal PAC (Pro-Choice advocacy group)
- UFCW Local #881
- Independent Voter Organization – Independent Precinct Organization (Advocacy group for good government activism)
- Julie Morrison for State Senate ($5,000) | 8/1/22
- Lake County Democratic Central Committee ($2,500) | 8/29/22
- Several IBEW Local Unions ($1,750 total) | 5/17/22 – 9/17/22
- West Suburban Teachers Union ($250) | 6/22/22
- Taxpayers for Quinn ($250) | 2013
Notable endorsements:
- State Sen. Dan McConchie (R)
- State Sen. Donald DeWitte (R)
- State Sen. Sue Rezin (R)
- DeWitte for IL Senate ($500) | 10/2/21
- Lake County Republican Federation ($200) | 5/6/22
Sonni Choi Williams (D) v. Liam C. Brennan (R)
Sonni Choi Williams (Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- AFL-CIO of Illinois
- Illinois Federation of Teachers
- AFSCME Council 31
- S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D)
- S. Rep. Sean Casten (D)
- State Rep. Natalie Manley (D)
- AFL-CIO ($1,000) | 8/15/22
- Democratic Women of DuPage County ($1,000) | 5/23/22
- IL Political Active Letter Carriers ($1,000) | 8/16/22
- Asian American Leaders Caucus PAC ($1000) | 4/22/22 – 9/29/22
- Will County Democratic Central Committee ($3,025 total) | 3/27/21 – 9/13/22
- DuPage Township Democratic Organization ($250) | 1/19/22
- Kilbride for Supreme Court Judge Committee ($250) | 7/16/20
Notable endorsements:
- Safe Suburbs USA PAC
- Former Justice Bob Thomas
- Former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan
- State Rep. Jim Durkin (R)
- State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi (R)
- LIUNA PAC ($1,000) | 5/2/22
- Safe Suburbs PAC ($1,000) | 5/2/22
- Citizens for Donald Puchalski ($1,000) | 3/1/22
- Friends of Sam Tornatore ($1,000) | 3/13/22
- IBEW Local 701 PAC ($500) | 3/2/22
- DuPage County Republican Central Committee ($4,000 total) | 2012-2016
No judges are up for retention or election.
5th District Illinois Appellate Court
Brian Roberts (D) v. Mike McHaney (R)
Brian Roberts (Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Judge Judy Cates ($1,000) | 2017
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Friends of John Cavalette ($1,000) | 9/7/21 – 1/24/22
- Central Illinois Manufacturing Company ($1,000) | 11/22/21
- Macon County Republican Central Committee ($500 total) | 8/23/21 – 5/16/22
- Williamson County Republican Women ($350) |2/26/22
Judy Cates (incumbent Democrat)
Notable endorsements:
- No notable endorsements
- Committee to Elect Jay C. Hoffman ($11,600) | 6/30/20
- SW Area Council AFT COPE ($20,000) | 2012-2020
- Southern Illinois Laborers’ Political League ($5,000) 12/30/19
- Clair County Democratic Central Committee ($10,000+) | 2012-2021
- SCSVDC ($810 total) | 2013-2019
- Democratic Party of Christian County ($450) 9/7/20 – 9/22/20
- Cates concurred in AFSCME v. ILRB decision that said AFSCME step increases for state workers must continue to be paid even though the contract had expired and a new contract had yet to be negotiated