The ISBA finds Judge Anna Maria Loftus recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. It commonly takes years to act against judges who violate the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct, and the punishment seldom is more than a public reprimand, Injustice Watchs first investigation found. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2010 and retained in 2016. Attorneys praised her strong legal knowledge, her commitment to the elimination of bias, her impartiality, her integrity, and her judicial temperament. Download your . The ISBA finds Judge Sophia H. Hall recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. He is currently serving as Acting Supervisor of the Housing Section, First Municipal. After first spending time in the Traffic Division, she was assigned to Eviction Court in 2016. Since July 2016, she has been assigned to the Appellate Court First District; prior to that assignment, she served in the Chancery Division for six years and in the Child Protection Division. In 1988 she was elected to the Circuit Court, where she was assigned to the Criminal and Chancery Divisions. After that, they face a yes-or-no vote for retention every six years. Brendan A. OBrien has been licensed since 1996. Barry Goldberg was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1999. Hon. 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. Marcia OBrien Conway was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1984. He is on the board of the Illinois Youth Soccer Association. He is highly respected for his clear reasoning, his good solid writing and hard work. Tracie Porter has been licensed since 1994. Two of those candidates received positive reviews from all but one bar group. They described her as professional and calm. In the areas of "Trial Judges' Impartiality" and "Trial Judges' Competence," Illinois ranked 49th and 50th respectively. He is currently assigned to Chancery, after previously sitting in the Criminal Division at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. He is a board member of the Illinois Judicial Council. She was a litigation attorney until selected as an associate judge in 1988, serving in First Municipal, Traffic Court, Domestic Violence Court, and the Fifth District (Bridgeview). John Patrick Kirby has been licensed since 1983. Attorneys and judges reported that he writes well and has excellent research skills, is sensitive to diversity and even keeled. And Illinois has historically been resistant to changing the way that judges are evaluated and selected, potentially dooming efforts to improve the ratings process. chapala mexican restaurant lexington, sc menu. The Committee finds Nick Kantas qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Kim said the results of the survey should be a wake-up call to policymakers, saying any states economic growth and prosperity depend in large part on the fairness and predictability of its legal system.. International soccer returns to SeatGeek Stadium, Chicago Wolves Noesen wins Presidents Award, Prominent producer to write screen adaptation of story on the fight against Thalassemia, Sheriff and District 230 honor students for public service hours, Chicagoan who invested in research to save children releases new book, Cook County Announces Call for Transportation and Community Grant Program Applications, Buckner unveils plan to help businesses and strengthen job, United offers endless airline travel problems for travelers. Hon. Prior to that assignment, he had been the Presiding Judge of the Pretrial Division at the Leighton Criminal Court House since 2017. Founder, bioengineer, and Illinois Swim Team Captain Cara Bernadette Garrison Barrett has been licensed since 1991. In 2013, Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Democrat from Chicagos North Side, sponsored a bill that would have moved Illinois to merit selection of judges and created a public commission to evaluate judicial performance. Attorneys reported that she knows the law and Rules of Evidence, and praised her sensitivity, in particular her patience with pro se litigants. The people who are assessing the judges, their interests may not necessarily align with the public that the judge is supposed to be serving, Nes said. Others did not have such concerns. Click here to view that list. They just shrug and vote yes (or no) on all of them. Attorneys reported that she is fair minded, hard-working, professional, and diligent. She was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2015 and subsequently elected in 2016. After that, they face a yes-or-no vote for retention every six years. They say he is not a good judge, but I think the truth is far more political. Susan Kennedy Sullivan has been licensed since 1994. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2010 and retained in 2016. He is a career assistant states attorney who is currently a supervisor in the Juvenile Justice Division. Dorothea Renee Jackson has been licensed since 2006. Unlike political candidates for public office who need to receive 50 percent plus 1 vote or more to win and election and take office, Judges who are elected to the Cook County Circuit Court must stand for retention every six years. (Committee for Retention of Judges in Cook County photo). Has been a speaker on legal topics and is a member of various bar associations. People, both attorneys and non-attorneys, contacted during the investigation reported that he is known for having a calm, measured and pleasant demeanor and temperament. He has been assigned to Juvenile Justice since 2015 after a prior stint in First Municipal. Any list of terrible Supreme Court justices that does not begin with Chief Justice Roger Taney will inherently be controversial. He has served on Illinois Supreme Court committees, been a speaker on many occasions, and is a member of various bar associations. Elected in 2012, she apparently got off to a very bad start. Since 2017 she has been assigned to a civil call in the Sixth District (Markham). Terrence Fulton MacCarthy has been licensed in 1990. 2002, Illinois ranked No. According to the report, Illinois position was weighed down by the poor rankings afforded to the court systems of Cook County and Madison County. Each judge has to garner at least 60% of the vote to stay on the bench. South Dakota had been ranked No. Then after an initial two-year trial period and at the end of each subsequent term voters decide whether a judge should be retained. This year, that state placed 10th. He has been assigned to the Criminal Division at the Leighton Courthouse since 2009, and to the Veterans Treatment Court since 2018. And more than a quarter of all asbestos lawsuits filed in the U.S. were filed in Madison County, alone. 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. She is considered to be professional, courteous and to have high ethical standards. Prior to that assignment, he has been Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division since 2015; his other assignments include General Chancery, Domestic Relations and First Municipal. For context, she adds, Judge Demacopoulos is at 11 percent and she has had the highest number of cases before the Appellate Court. After a career in private practice with different litigation firms, she was elected to the Circuit Court in 2008. Hon. LeRoy K. Martin, Jr. has been licensed since 1984. They say she is professional, diligent, organized, and prepared, with an excellent temperament. She is the recipient of several awards, including the Hon. After being elected to the Circuit Court in 1994, and retained in 2000 and 2006, where she served in Probate Court, she was appointed to the Appellate Court, First District, in 2010, and then elected in 2012. Hon. He is a commissioner on the Lyons Township Mental Health Commission and served as a trustee for Lyons township School Treasurers Office and is a member of several bar associations. In Cook County, 13 bar associations professional organizations for lawyers have long attempted to help voters on these down-ballot contests by rating each judicial candidate as qualified or not. Illinois Courts Commission: A System Borne from Scandal, Joseph C. Polito, Will County Associate Judge, Kurt P. Klein, DeKalb County Circuit Judge, William G. Schwartz, Jackson County Circuit Court Judge. The ISBA finds Judge Freddrenna M. Lyle recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. During her judicial career Rochford has worked on issues to improve access to justice and her volunteer efforts have focused on Illinois literacy initiatives. The ISBA finds Judge Patricia Spratt recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Hon. But I do have an issue with Demacopolous. Prior to joining the firm, he spent a year in American Samoa as a law clerk. The Committee finds Bradley R. Trowbridge qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Attorneys and judges reported that she is a very well-versed jurist who issues thorough and even-sided opinions. Hon. He is currently the managing partner at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart and Sullivan, where he has been employed since 2011, focusing on business litigation. Judges love to dish out decisions and rulings. Hon. Retention is different from an election. U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform (ILR), Pritzker, Raoul: No 'fundamental right' to own, sell 'assault weapons' in IL, ask IL high court to toss TRO, 4th Ward Chicago Ald. He has an even-keeled temperament, high integrity, and issues well-reasoned opinions in a timely manner. He was a private practitioner until his appointment to the Circuit Court in 2015 and subsequent election in 2016. No (Page) Limits for Chief Judge Ken Popejoy. Thomas E. Nowinski has been licensed since 2004. Yet the Chicago Council of Lawyers was the only one of the three major bar associations to give Coghlan a negative rating. She is currently assigned to the Domestic Relations Division in the Fifth District (Bridgeview); prior to this assignment, she presided in Domestic Relations in the Daley Center, to the Sixth District (Markham) and to First Municipal, Traffic Division. 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. He was recently assigned to a felony criminal courtroom after serving as a bond court judge in the Chicago criminal courthouse. Hon. He was named to the inaugural list of Crains Chicago Business Notable LGBTQ Executives in 2018. Before moving to the Fifth District in 2009, she was assigned to Child Protection and First Municipal, Traffic Division. Susana L. Ortiz has been licensed since 2001. THE JUDGES BELOW ARE KNOWN TO BE CORRUPT OR HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES AND ABUSED THEIR POWER FOR PROFIT. He has served as presiding judge of the Second Division. The ISBA finds Judge Patrick T. Murphy recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Were here to help. Chuck D's Classic Games Cavalcade. The ISBA finds Judge Carolyn J. Gallagher recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. On Sept. 18, the U.S. Chambers Institute for Legal Reform released its 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey: Ranking the Statesreport. Attorneys reports that she is known for handling complex family law cases and has more than a typical knowledge of the law. Illinois is home to one of the worst pension crises in the country.1 At 39% funded, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, Illinois has the worst pension funding ratio of any state.2 . With another election fast approaching, Rebel Nes, an Illinois resident, recalled in a recent interview how challenging she found it in past election cycles to make an informed vote on the many judges running for retention. ADULT STAR USES FAN FOR $$$! Thomas J. Maloney (1925-2008) was a judge in Cook County, Illinois who served from 1977 until his indictment for bribery in 1991. She has received various awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Judges Association, the Mary Heftel Hooton Award from the Womens Bar Association, the Access to Justice Award from the Illinois State Bar Association, and the John Paul Stevens Award from the Chicago Bar Association. Eve Marie Reilly has been licensed since 1997. She also served for three years as an assistant states attorney before entering private practice. He is described as fair, with a good judicial temperament and high integrity. Hon. In 2021 she was appointed to the circuit court and is currently assigned to the Sixth District (Markham). While almost 20 states, including New Mexico, Missouri, Utah, and Alaska, use whats called a performance commission model of judicial evaluation, Colorado has won a reputation as a model of how best to evaluate the performance of judges. After initial assignments in Traffic Court and First Municipal, she is currently assigned to the Municipal Department in the Fifth District (Bridgeview). The ISBA finds Judge D. Renee Jackson recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. She has civil litigation experience and attorneys report that she has excellent legal knowledge citing her ability to reduce complicated issues into manageable parts. Judge Reva G. Goetz. He was a career assistant public defender who recently retired from that office. In addition, she helped create the Cook County Drug Court Treatment Program in the Second District. He was described as calm, patient and sensitive. She is a board members of Greenlight Family Services and has served on bar association committees. She has been a speaker and written about legal issues and served on the Proviso Township Mental Health Commission and the Hillside Zoning Commission. 232: Judge Matthew Coghlan also was rated not qualified by the Council of Lawyers, which cited a case in which the Appellate Court twice overturned his decision not to grant a rehearing for a defendant who said hed confessed to murder after being tortured by detectives working for disgraced Chicago police Lt. Jon Burge. In addition, he has lectured at law schools and written on legal topics and is active in community organizations. The write-ups and recommendations are posted online and mailed to every registered voter household in the states Blue Book, a ballot information booklet. He has been a speaker and received the Jurist of the Year Award in 2019 from the Southwest Bar Association. Those who appeared before him in First Municipal described his legal knowledge as above average; those appearing before him in his current assignment reported that while he was not initially familiar with that area of law, he has worked to learn it and gives fair rulings. Before that he served in various First Municipal assignments, including Traffic, Domestic Violence and Criminal Misdemeanor, as well as in the Fifth District (Bridgeview). She is considered to be fair and impartial, with high character. Since 2009 she has been assigned to Domestic Relations Division. What Happens to Complaints Against Judges? He is currently assigned to the Law Division Trial Section where he has sat since 2013. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2004, retained in 2010 and 2016. She has taught at law schools and bar association seminars. The ISBA finds Judge Jerry A. Esrig recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Hon. After first being assigned to First Municipal, he currently presides in the Law Division, Commercial Calendar Section. She was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2014 and elected in 2016 after a career as a prosecutor. I have disagreed with some judges that I liked, too. Dallas County judge: Condition of U.S. nurse Pham . He also lectures on legal topics and has bar association involvement. Attorneys appearing before her and colleagues remarked that she is a hard worker who understands the legal issues well, and treats all with respect, though sometimes her conferences tend to run long due to allowing both parties a lot of time, in an effort to be fair and make sure both sides are heard. The ISBA finds Judge Eulalia De La Rosa recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Many attorneys praised his legal knowledge and ability, stating that he understands the issues in complex matters and has a good sense of justice. He is regarded by fellow attorneys as possessing exceptions legal skills, and being very inclusive and even keeled, with high integrity. Under the BIPA law, plaintiffs and their lawyers have filed more than 300 lawsuits in the last two years accusing employers of technical violations of the law. She prepared thoroughly for each case and is described as patient and kind to the many pro se litigants appearing before her. The Worst Shameless Lawyers/Liars in Illinois. Although he's best known for So You Think You Can Dance, Nigel Lythgoe was generally amicable in personality in the dance competition.He was the original template for a tough judge on Popstars, where he got the nickname of "Nasty Nigel.". Catherine Ann Schneider has been licensed since 1994. The Committee finds Stephen Swedlow qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. The judge's clerk will return the call. Known for handling complex family law cases and has more than a quarter of asbestos. 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