CHICAGO, ILL. ( February 19, 2014 )— The Chicago Bar Association ( CBA ) has released its evaluations of candidates running in the March 18, 2014 primary election for vacancies on the Illinois Appellate Court and the Circuit Court of Cook County.
"We urge voters to consider the evaluations before casting their votes for judges," said CBA President J. Timothy Eaton. "There is no elected official who more directly affects the average person than a judge. Whether you are appearing before a judge to work out a divorce situation or a foreclosure or a lawsuit or some other matter, the elected judge on the bench can have enormous impact on your life. That's why voters should care about who is elected to these powerful positions."
Chair of the Judicial Evaluation Committee John Jacoby praised the volunteer efforts of his committee members and said, "We undertake extensive investigations and hearings before issuing findings for every Judicial candidate on the ballot. We know it is likely voters will not know the individuals running, or know only a few. Our findings are an easy resource for voters desiring to cast an informed ballot."
For the in-depth findings and explanations of findings, visit the CBA online athttp://www.chicagobar.org/AM/Template.cfm Visitors may download the booklet the "Green Guide to Judicial Candidates in Cook County" or a copy of the pocket guide, which can be taken into the voting booth for easy reference. The findings are also available in a mobile app which can be downloaded at m.chicagobar.org/ .
About the Judicial Evaluation Committee ratings
The CBA publishes its judicial evaluations to help inform voters about the qualifications of judicial candidates.
The Process
The CBA Judicial Evaluation Committee ( JEC ), consisting of approximately 200 lawyers, conducts a comprehensive peer review evaluation of all candidates. Candidates running for judge are issued ratings of "Highly Qualified," "Qualified," or "Not Recommended."
In evaluating the candidates, the JEC conducts comprehensive background investigations and interviews.Its governing resolution provides that to be found "Highly Qualified" the candidate must receive that rating on 80% of the ballots. To be found "Qualified" the candidate must receive a favorable rating on 60% of the ballots.
The JEC applies strict criteria in evaluating judges and judicial candidates. Candidates who do not possess the requisite qualifications, which include: integrity, legal knowledge, legal ability, professional experience, judicial temperament, diligence and punctuality, will not receive a "Qualified" rating from the CBA. Candidates who decline to appear before the JEC are found automatically "Not Recommended" in accordance with JEC bylaws.
The Findings
On February 19, 2014, the JEC completed its evaluation process. Of the 73 candidates on the ballot, the JEC found 8 candidates "Highly Qualified," 49 "Qualified," and 16 "Not Recommended." Of those 16, 7candidates chose not to participate in the evaluations and, therefore, were automatically found "Not Recommended" pursuant to the JEC bylaws.
The findings of the JEC for the March 18, 2014 Illinois Primary are:
FOR JUDGE OF THE APPELLATE COURT
1ST APPELLATE - GORDON VACANCY
SHELDON ( SHELLY ) A. HARRIS ( D ) Qualified
SUSAN KENNEDY SULLIVAN ( D ) Not Recommended
FREDDRENNA M. LYLE ( D ) Qualified
1ST APPELLATE - MURPHY VACANCY
DAVID ELLIS ( D ) Qualified
1ST APPELLATE - STEELE VACANCY
SHARON ODEN JOHNSON ( D ) Not Recommended
JOHN B. SIMON ( D ) Highly Qualified
FOR JUDGE OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK COUNTY
COOK CIRCUIT- ARNOLD VACANCY
BRIDGET ANNE MITCHELL ( D ) Qualified
ALFRED M. SWANSON JR. ( D ) Qualified
COOK CIRCUIT- BURKE VACANCY
MARITZA MARTINEZ Not Recommended
COOK CIRCUIT- CONNORS VACANCY
KRISTAL RIVERS ( D ) Qualified
PETER J. VILKELIS ( D ) Qualified
COOK CIRCUIT- EGAN VACANCY
DANIEL J. KUBASIAK ( D ) Qualified
COOK CIRCUIT- FELTON VACANCY
PATRICIA O'BRIEN SHEAHAN ( D ) Qualified
COOK CIRCUIT- HOWSE, Jr. VACANCY
CAROLINE KATE MORELAND ( D ) Qualified
COOK CIRCUIT- LOWRANCE VACANCY
THOMAS JOSEPH CARROLL ( D ) Qualified
COOK CIRCUIT- McDONALD VACANCY
CYNTHIA Y. COBBS ( D ) Qualified
LINDA L. MASTANDREA ( D ) Qualified
COOK CIRCUIT- NEVILLE, JR. VACANCY
CAROLYN JOAN GALLAGHER ( D ) Qualified
WILLIAM B. RAINES ( D ) Qualified
PATRICIA S. SPRATT ( D ) Qualified
MARY ALICE MELCHOR ( D ) Not Recommended**
COOK CIRCUIT- REYES VACANCY
STEPHEN J. FELDMAN ( D ) Not Recommended
DIANA ROSARIO ( D ) Qualified
COOK CIRCUIT- HILL VEAL VACANCY
ANDREA MICHELE BUFORD ( D ) Qualified
JAMES PATRICK CRAWLEY ( D ) Qualified
KELLY MALONEY KACHMARIK ( D ) Not Recommended
COOK 2ND SUBCIRCUIT- O'NEAL VACANCY
NYSHANA K. SUMNER ( D ) Not Recommended*
STEVEN G. WATKINS ( D ) Qualified
COOK — 3rd SUBCIRCUIT - DONNELLY VACANCY
LAUREN BROUGHAM GLENNON ( D ) Not Recommended*
TERRENCE J. MCGUIRE ( D ) Qualified
COOK — 4th SUBCIRCUIT — BILLIK, JR. VACANCY
BRIAN JOSEPH STEPHENSON ( D ) Qualified
JOHN J. MAHONEY ( D ) Highly Qualified
JAMES J. RYAN ( D ) Not Recommended *
DANIEL LAWRENCE PETERS ( D ) Qualified
MAUREEN MASTERSON PULIA ( D ) Qualified
COOK — 4TH SUBCIRCUIT - MULHERN VACANCY
MARTIN D. REGGI ( D ) Qualified
JOHN MICHAEL ALLEGRETTI ( D ) Qualified
COOK - 7TH SUBCIRCUIT — HARDY-CAMPBELL VACANCY
ROBERT D. KUZAS ( D ) Qualified
COOK - 7TH SUBCIRCUIT — TAYLOR VACANCY
JUDY RICE ( D ) Not Recommended
OWENS J. SHELBY ( D ) Not Recommended*
MARIANNE JACKSON ( D ) Qualified
COOK - 9TH SUBCIRCUIT - GOLDBERG VACANCY
JERRY A. ESRIG ( D ) Highly Qualified
MEGAN ELIZABETH GOLDISH ( D ) Highly Qualified
NATHAN BENJAMIN MYERS ( D ) Not recommended*
COOK - 9TH SUBCIRCUIT - MEYER VACANCY
ANJANA HANSEN ( D ) Qualified
THOMAS PETER KOUGIAS ( D ) Qualified
MONICA A. FORTE ( D ) Not Recommended**
COOK - 9TH SUBCIRCUIT - PRESTON VACANCY
MICHAEL FRANCIS OTTO ( D ) Qualified
ABBEY FISHMAN ROMANEK ( D ) Qualified
MICHAEL ALAN STROM ( D ) Highly Qualified
BRIAN ALEXANDER ( D ) Qualified
THOMAS M. CUSHING ( D ) Highly Qualified
COOK - 10TH SUBCIRCUIT — "A" VACANCY
ANTHONY C. "TONY" KYRIAKOPOULOS ( D ) Highly Qualified
KATHERINE A. O'DELL ( D ) Qualified
COOK - 11TH SUBCIRCUIT — "A" VACANCY
GINA A. CRUMBLE ( D ) Qualified
JOANNE F. ROSADO ( D ) Qualified
SCOTT MICHAEL KOZICKI ( D ) Qualified
PAMELA McLEAN MEYERSON ( D ) Qualified
COOK - 12TH SUBCIRCUIT — JORDAN VACANCY
JAMES PAUL PIECZONKA ( R ) Not Recommended
SAMUEL BAE ( D ) Qualified
RALPH EUGENE MECZYK ( D ) Qualified
JAMES EDWARD HANLON JR. ( D ) Qualified
JAMES L. KAPLAN ( D ) Qualified
COOK - 13TH SUBCIRCUIT - IOSCO VACANCY
JOHN CURRY ( R ) Qualified
GARY W. SEYRING ( R ) Qualified
COOK - 15TH SUBCIRCUIT — DOODY, JR. VACANCY
PATRICK KEVIN COUGHLIN ( D ) Highly Qualified
JOHN S. FOTOPOULOS ( D ) Qualified
DIANA EMBIL ( D ) Qualified
COOK - 15TH SUBCIRCUIT - STERBA VACANCY
MICHAEL B. BARRETT ( D ) Qualified
SONDRA DENMARK ( D ) Not Recommended*
CHRIS LAWLER ( D ) Qualified
MARY BETH DUFFY ( D ) Qualified
ROBBIN PERKINS ( D ) Not Recommended*
*Indicates the candidate did not participate in the evaluation process and was automatically found "Not Recommended" under the Judicial Evaluation Committee bylaws.
**Pursuant to Section 27.4 of the JEC Resolutions and Procedures, a candidate who has been evaluated and found "NOT RECOMMENDED" for the office of Associate Judge and who shall within two years of such a finding be a candidate for Circuit Judge shall be found "NOT RECOMMENDED" without hearing.
About the Chicago Bar Association
Founded in 1874, The Chicago Bar Association is one of the leading and largest metropolitan bar associations in the United States. The 21,000-member CBA provides a wide variety of services to the legal profession, and to the public. For more information, visit The CBA online at chicagobar.org
