Cook County voters will decide November 6 whether to retain 59 Circuit Court judges seeking new six-year terms.

Though in the past these races have been virtually automatic — the last time a judge lost retention in Cook County was 1990 — this year a series of occurrences makes that less certain.

The election comes amidst deep mistrust within minority communities of the criminal justice system. Several community organizations hope to generate heightened interest in the judicial elections, which historically have seen diminished participation even from those residents who show up to vote.

To keep their seats, retention judges must win more than 60 percent approval from among those who cast votes for or against them winning a new term.

Also on the ballot are candidates for open judicial seats. While retention elections are nonpartisan — the judge’s party is not even listed on the ballot — judges win their initial terms in partisan contests.

Almost all these contested races were decided at the March primary. Given the dominance of Democrats in Chicago, Republicans rarely even file for those seats, and the Democratic primary victor is running without opposition November 6. Voters residing in any of five sub-circuits in suburban Cook County will decide contested races between a Democrat and a Republican.

The Injustice Watch guide makes no recommendations; instead, it offers voters’ information based on extensive reporting of public records. The 12 bar associations — three general-interest associations, and several representing different ethnicities and heritages — each offers their own recommendations based on interviews of the judges, lawyers who appear before them and follow-up research, but not a detailed public records search.

The bar associations voted to support nearly all retention candidates. No judge received negative ratings from more than one of the three associations.

Our guide uses abbreviations in referring to the three general interest bar associations: Chicago Bar Association (CBA), the Chicago Council of Lawyers (CCL), and the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA).

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The Injustice Watch examination included reviews of lawsuits, judges’ statements of economic interest, reversal rates, the sentencing practices of criminal division judges, disciplinary records, a review of newsworthy cases, the recommendations of local bar associations, and courtroom observation, as well as interviews.

That research turned up notable information about several judges. One, Matthew Coghlan, is being sued by two exonerees who contend that, as a prosecutor, he worked with a now-disgraced detective to frame them for murder. A second judge, Maura Slattery Boyle, has been reversed by the appellate courts far more often the past six years than any other judge. Michael Clancy, in bond court, has repeatedly held suspects on bail higher than they could afford, contrary to a new local court rule enacted by Chief Judge Evans last year. A fourth judge, Michael McHale, was accused by defense attorneys of holding improper private conversations with prosecutors about a pending case.

Judges are listed in ballot order.

Flags:
Past Controversy Notable Reversals Negative Ratings
Harsh Sentencer Lenient Sentencer Former Prosecutor Former Public Defender

Kathy M. Flanagan: Law Division

Negative Ratings

Judge since: 1988
A previous version of the guide said Judge Flanagan has been a judge since 1998. She has been a judge since 1988. Injustice Watch regrets the error.
Prior to being elected to the bench, Flanagan worked in private practice. She began her career on the bench working in the domestic relations division as a trial judge, and a preliminary motion judge. She has been supervising judge of the motion section of the Law Division since August 2011.
Bar Association ratings
This year: he CBA rated her qualified, and the ISBA recommended her for retention. The CCL once again rated her as “not qualified,” saying that some well-respected practitioners find her “unduly harsh, overbearing, and sometimes disrespectfully aggressive with litigants, with deadlines too often set without any input from litigants.” In response to the CCL’s rating, Flanagan pointed out that other bar associations have always found her qualified. She said she is strict with lawyers who do not get things done on time because it is “bad for the system,” but said she rarely raises her voice and is exceptionally cordial with the litigants who do not have lawyers. She noted that in her 30-year career, she has not had any complaints about her “fairness," "sensitivity to diversity and bias,” “integrity," “experience” or “knowledge of the law.”
Past: Throughout Flanagan’s career, bar groups have praised her legal ability and ability to efficiently run one of the most difficult court calls. However, since 1994, bar groups have pointed out significant unchanging issues with her judicial temperament over, as many lawyers reported that she was “rude,” “inflexible,” “discourteous,” “hostile,” or “imperious,” according to the CCL. The CCL has rated her negatively since 2006 due to negative reports on her temperament. In 2012 the ISBA and CBA found her qualified.

Moshe Jacobius: Chancery Division, presiding judge

Judge since: 1991
Appointed to the bench in 1991, Jacobius was elected to a full term in 1994 and has served as the presiding judge of the Chancery Division since 2010. Jacobius previously sat in the Domestic Relations Division, where he also spent nine years as presiding judge. Before becoming a judge, Jacobius spent 16 years at the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. He serves as the co-chair for the Special Supreme Court Committee on Child Custody Issues and is a member of the Supreme Court Committee to Study Courtroom and Judicial Security.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated Jacobius well qualified, citing his knowledge, timeliness, and temperament. The CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Jacobius was rated positively by all three major bar associations.

Stuart F. Lubin: Juvenile Justice Division

Former Public Defender Notable Reversals

Judge since: 1991
Prior to becoming a circuit judge, Lubin worked as an assistant public defender for 17 years. On the bench, Lubin has heard delinquency matters in the Juvenile Justice Division since 1991, shortly after he was first appointed to be judge. He was later elected to a full term in 1994. In 2001, Lubin won an award for Exemplary Dedication in Juvenile Justice Initiatives Dealing with At-Risk Youths from the National Gang Crime Research Center.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated Lubin well qualified, citing his legal ability, temperament, and fairness. The CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Lubin was rated positively by the CCL, CBA, and ISBA in 2012.
Notable: Lubin presided over a high-profile case in 1994 of a 10-year-old who beat and stabbed his elderly neighbor to death, reportedly over the racial slurs she used toward him. Lubin sentenced the boy to five years of probation with the Department of Children and Family Services, which placed him with a relative. The decision was met with outrage, but the Chicago Tribune defended Lubin for complying with the existing law which prevented him from either incarcerating the child or placing him in a facility without finding he had a psychological disorder. Lubin’s decisions were rarely reversed by the appellate court up until 2012, but in the past six-year term, a series of Lubin’s decisions have been overturned or reversed in part, with some of these cases also being remanded. In a few recent cases, the appellate court found Lubin erred by finding juveniles delinquent of multiple crimes for the same act.

Martin S. Agran: Third Municipal District (Rolling Meadows Courthouse)

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 1994
Prior to becoming a judge, Agran was an assistant Cook County state’s attorney for six years and then a longtime a private practice attorney. He served on a Federal Defender Panel as a private attorney who took assignments to represent federal defendants. He was appointed to be judge in 1994 and won election later that year. He has had previous judicial assignments in the Child Protection Division and in the Juvenile Justice Division, including as supervisor.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated Agran well qualified, noting his temperament, courtroom management skills, and fairness. The CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Agran received positive ratings from all three bar groups in 2012, including “well qualified” from the CCL.
Notable: Agran has ruled in a number of high-profile cases. He ruled in 2007 against former Governor George Ryan, who sought to receive his pension after being convicted of corruption. The Illinois Supreme Court upheld Agran’s denial of Ryan’s pension. Agran also overturned former Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan’s pick for jail director after Sheahan did not follow proper protocol, and allowed for a civil rights lawsuit over the Illinois school funding system to proceed, finding there was sufficient evidence of discrimination.

Ronald F. Bartkowicz: Law Division

Judge since: 1985
Bartkowicz previously worked as an attorney for the Chicago Transit Authority before becoming a judge. He was appointed as an associate judge in 1985, and then appointed as a circuit court judge in 1997. Bartkowicz was elected to the Circuit Court in 2000 and is currently working as an individual general calendar judge.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified, and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Bartkowicz was found qualified by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA in 2012.

E. Kenneth Wright, Jr.: First Municipal District (Daley Center), presiding judge

Judge since: 1994
E. Kenneth Wright, Jr. was appointed to the bench and later elected in 1994, and has served in many of the sections of the First Municipal District, including the civil section, the felony preliminary hearings section, and the traffic section. Wright was first appointed presiding judge of the First Municipal District, the largest of the court’s districts, in 2003. Prior to becoming a judge, Wright was a solo practitioner in the private sector, specializing in criminal, divorce, and probate real estate matters. Wright holds both a law degree and a PhD in education.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated him well-qualified, citing his “compassionate and professional demeanor.” The CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Wright was rated qualified to stay on the bench in 2012 by the CCL, CBA, and ISBA.
Notable:As presiding judge of the county’s largest district, Wright is credited with various efforts to make the courts accessible to unrepresented residents, including increasing a pool of pro bono attorneys and providing court sessions before and after normal work hours.

Catherine Marie Haberkorn: Criminal Division, Second Municipal District (Skokie Courthouse)

Lenient Sentencer Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 1994
Haberkorn has heard felony cases in the Skokie courthouse since May 1999. She previously presided over juvenile delinquency cases and narcotics cases. Prior to judgeship, she was a Cook County assistant state’s attorney.
Bar Association ratings
This year: Both the CCL and CBA rated Haberkorn as qualified, and the ISBA recommended her for retention. The CBA said “she is reported to be fair and patient on the bench.”
Past: Haberkorn was recommended to be retained in 2012 by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA.
Notable: Haberkorn has been willing to call out police misconduct in cases before her. In 2014, she suppressed the drugs seized by officers from Glenview and Chicago when dashboard footage contradicted their version of the police stop. Haberkorn ruled the testimony “outrageous conduct.” And in 2016 she overturned a guilty verdict when new evidence contradicted police testimony from the original 2006 trial about whether a video recorder was operating and would have captured the scene. The judge said then she was “sickened” by the “miscarriage of justice.” Haberkorn is the second most lenient sentencer among 24 Criminal Division judges who have handed down more than 1,000 sentences in the past six years, according to Injustice Watch’s analysis of sentencing data.

Jason M. Varga: Law Division

Negative Ratings Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 1994

Varga has presided over civil jury trials since 2002. Prior to that, he heard complex litigation cases and briefly served in the First Municipal District. Varga began his career as an assistant state’s attorney. He then spent about ten years in private practice before returning to the State’s Attorney’s Office as supervisor of the medical litigation division, which defends Cook County hospitals and medical staff in personal injury cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified. Varga was one of three judges the ISBA did not recommend. They praised his legal knowledge and fairness but noted that "concerns about temperament...have been an ongoing issue."
Past: Varga was rated qualified for retention by the CBA, the CCL, and the ISBA in 2012. Despite praising him as diligent and knowledgeable, all three bar associations also noted concerns about Varga’s demeanor and unpredictable temperament. The CCL wrote, “It is of particular concern that Judge Varga does not limit his outbursts when witnesses and jurors are present.” In both CBA and CCL’s reports, Varga responded that he was working to improve his temperament.
Notable: During his time as an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County, Varga was a member of the team that prosecuted serial killer John Wayne Gacy. In 2005, Varga, along with two other judges, missed the deadline to file the necessary paperwork for the 2006 retention election. The judges successfully challenged the law setting the deadline before the Illinois Supreme Court, noting that it was in conflict with a later deadline set in the state constitution.

Marcia Maras: Law Division

Judge since: 1999
Maras served briefly as an assistant state’s attorney before going into private practice. Beginning in 1991, she began working in the Office of the Cook County Assessor. She was the first woman in Cook County to hold the position of chief deputy assessor in 1994, and later became special counsel in the office.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated her well qualified, noting she is knowledgeable, well-prepared, and has a good temperament. The CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: In 2012 Judge Maras was found qualified by the CBA, the CCL, and the ISBA.

Peter Flynn: Chancery Division

Notable Reversals

Judge since: 1999
Flynn was appointed to be judge in 1999 and elected in 2000. Flynn worked in private practice in Chicago prior to his judicial appointment and practiced civil litigation for 30 years. As a judge, he has also overseen traffic cases and commercial and civil matters, but has been in the Chancery Division since 2002.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated Flynn well qualified, saying he has good temperament, is thoughtful, and is well prepared. The CBA rated him qualified, and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Flynn was found qualified for retention by all three major bar groups in 2012.
Notable: In a series of cases, Flynn has been reversed by the Illinois Appellate Court for his rulings favoring police officers in everything from disputes over benefits to a lawsuit trying to keep police's past disciplinary complaints from public view. In 2016 the appeals court reversed his decision temporarily blocking the City of Chicago from releasing nearly four decades of civilian complaints. In 2015, the appeals court reversed his decision blocking the City of Chicago Police Board from firing an officer who had fired his service weapon in his backyard while off-duty and apparently intoxicated. Although Flynn was voted into office in the 3rd judicial subcircuit, he moved out to a different subcircuit to live in a northern suburb.

Paul A. Karkula: County Division

Former Public Defender

Judge since: 1999
Karkula’s previous experience includes work as an assistant public defender and as counsel for the City of Cicero in 1998. He was in private practice immediately before being appointed to the bench in 1999. He was then elected to a full term in 2000. Before being assigned to the County Division, Karkula was assigned to the traffic court at the Daley Center and also heard cases in the Chancery Division. He currently hears tax-related matters, change-of-name petitions, and mental health trials.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated Karkula as qualified, and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, the CBA, CCL, and ISBA found Karkula qualified.
Notable: Karkula’s wife, Elizabeth Karkula, is also a Cook County Circuit Court judge in the Daley Center.

Maura Slattery Boyle: Criminal Division

Negative Ratings Notable Reversals Harsh Sentencer Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2000
Before her election to the bench, Slattery Boyle worked six years as an assistant Cook County state’s attorney and also worked for the City of Chicago’s Law Department. In 2000, she ran for judge unopposed with the public endorsement of John Daley, former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s brother. She was assigned to the First Municipal District before being transferred to the Criminal Division.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated Slattery Boyle “not qualified,” citing her tendency for harsh sentencing and reversals. The CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: In 2012, she was found qualified by ISBA, CBA, and CCL.
Notable: The Illinois Appellate Court has overturned 35 decisions of Slattery Boyle in the past six years, Injustice Watch reporting found. In three cases, defendants won exonerations after the appellate court reversed Slattery Boyle decisions that they did not even deserve post-conviction hearings, and ordered their cases reassigned to new judges. The Injustice Watch analysis of criminal court judges found Slattery Boyle is the most harsh in sentencing of any of the 24 judges assigned to the Criminal Division who have presided over 1,000 or more cases in the past six years.

Mary Margaret Brosnahan: Probate Division

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2000
Brosnahan is currently a supervising judge in the Criminal Division. She previously worked as a career prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney Office and became supervisor of the felony trial division in 1997. She was elected judge in 2000. Brosnahan has worked in the Criminal Division since 2005, but had previous assignments in the First Municipal District.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: In 2012, Brosnahan was found qualified by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA.
Notable: Brosnahan was initially assigned to preside over the case of three police officers accused of covering up the November 2014 Chicago Police shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald. She recused herself from the case with no explanation, possibly because her husband Kriston Kato was sent to the scene of the shooting as a police union representative, according to the Chicago Tribune. At least 50 men have accused Kato of physically coercing them into confessions, according to lawsuits and department complaints reviewed by the Washington Post. Three years ago Brosnahan declined to resentence David Biro on one of three life sentences he received as a juvenile offender for the 1990s slaying of a Winnetka couple and their unborn child. Among Criminal Division judges who have heard more than 1,000 cases in the past six years, Brosnahan ranks in the middle on sentencing severity.

Matthew E. Coghlan: Criminal Division

Negative Ratings Past Controversy Notable Reversals Harsh Sentencer Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2000
Coghlan served as a assistant state’s attorney for 13 years before his election to the bench. For three of those years, he also worked as a firefighter. As a judge, Coghlan has previously presided over felony preliminary hearings, bond court, traffic matters, and domestic violence matters.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated Coghlan not qualified, saying that while some lawyers find Coghlan fair, “other lawyers, particularly those who are non-white, believe that he can be condescending and otherwise disrespectful toward non-white lawyers and defendants in his courtroom.” The CBA rated Coghlan as qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Coghlan was rated positively by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA in 2012.
Notable: Coghlan has had family on the bench: his cousin, Mary Ellen Coghlan, has been a Cook County judge since 1995 and is now the presiding judge of the Probate Division. An uncle, Martin D. Coghlan, was first appointed to a vacancy on the circuit court in 2007, but lost his election the following year. An Injustice Watch review identified several issues in Coghlan’s past. He is currently being sued by two men who say he worked with disgraced Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara to frame them for murder; the two spent 23 years in prison before being exonerated. (Coghlan denies the accusations in court filings). Last year, an Illinois Appellate Court panel took a case away from Coghlan and assigned the case to a new judge after Coghlan denied the post-conviction petition of a prisoner who contended he was wrongly convicted for the second time, even after the Appellate Court ruled the petition should move forward. Coghlan’s retention is being opposed by progressive community groups, and in September, the Cook County Democratic Party took the rare step of voting not to support his retention. Injustice Watch’s review found Coghlan is among the harshest judges for sentencing among the 24 Criminal Division judges who presided over 1,000 or more cases in the past six years.

Joyce Marie Murphy Gorman: Sixth Municipal District (Markham Courthouse)

Judge since: 2000
Prior to her election to the bench, Murphy Gorman worked in legal research in the office of the presiding judge of the Sixth Municipal District, and as a sole practitioner specializing in real estate, family, and criminal law. She was elected to the bench just five years after being admitted as an attorney to the Illinois Bar. In 2016, she won the Northwestern University School of Law’s award for “Dedication and Commitment to Courthouse Mediation Program.”
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: In 2000, Murphy Gorman was rated negatively by both the CCL and the CBA for not participating in the screening process. Murphy Gorman had only been practicing for five years at the time, less than the minimum required by bar associations that have formed an evaluation alliance. While other bar groups have since found her qualified, the CCL continued to rate Murphy Gorman negatively, citing concerns in 2006 about her “grasp of evidentiary and procedural rules” and her temperament. In 2012 the CCL wrote “she lets lawyers get under her skin.”
Notable: When Gorman first was elected, her husband, Robert Gorman, worked as the top assistant to a member of the Cook County Board of Tax Review; another member of that three-member board was Joseph Berrios, then a Democratic Party ward committeeman and later the Cook County Assessor and Cook County Democratic Party chairman. Robert Gorman has regularly donated to Berrios’s campaigns over the years. Murphy Gorman filed to run for the Illinois Appellate Court in 2008 but withdrew before the primary election. She attempted to get a local Democratic Party committee’s support for another appellate court campaign in 2009, according to the Sun-Times, but election records do not show she filed for that run.

Joan Margaret O'Brien: Fifth Municipal District (Bridgeview Courthouse), Criminal Division

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2000
Prior to her election to the bench, O’Brien was a career prosecutor, and eventually became deputy bureau chief of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office criminal division. After her election, she first oversaw abuse cases in the Child Protection Division for seven years. She is currently the supervising judge of the felony courts in Bridgeview, where she started the Veterans Court and Drug Treatment Court.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: In 2012, the CCL rated her positively but also reported that some lawyers found O’Brien to be “overly harsh in her sentencing and more accommodating to prosecutors’ motions than defense motions.” The ISBA and CBA both rated her positively that year, praising her temperament.
Notable: In 2005, O’Brien missed the deadline to file a declaration of intent to run for retention in the 2006 election. She then filed a lawsuit contending that the deadline set by state law was unconstitutional because it conflicted the deadline set by the state constitution. The Illinois Supreme Court found in favor of the lawsuit brought by O’Brien and two other judges, allowing them to run for retention in November 2006.

Thomas David Roti: Third Municipal District (Rolling Meadows Courthouse)

Judge since: 2000
Before his election to the bench, Roti worked for three years in private practice, and then worked first as assistant general counsel and then as the vice president and general counsel for the grocery store chain Dominick’s Finer Foods for more than 20 years.
Bar Association ratings
This year: CCL and CBA rated Roti qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Roti was rated positively in 2012 by the CCL, CBA, and ISBA.
Notable: Roti is the nephew of the late Fred Roti, a former Chicago alderman infamous for corruption and mob ties, who served four years in prison for racketeering and extortion.

Colleen F. Sheehan: Juvenile Justice Division

Former Public Defender

Sheehan worked as an assistant Cook County public defender for four years before going into private practice. She was elected in 2000 as one of the first openly gay judges in Illinois. She also presides over the Restorative Justice Community Court in North Lawndale which aims to bring crime victims and offenders together to resolve issues.
Bar Association ratings
This year: Judge Sheehan was rated as qualified by the CBA and as well qualified by the CCL.
Past: Sheehan was found qualified by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA in 2012.
Notable: Sheehan’s North Lawndale court, which launched in 2017, was the first of its kind in the state. She designed the court program alongside community activist groups that had advocated for its creation.

Carl Anthony Walker: Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Second Division

Judge since: 2000
Walker was recently elevated to the appellate court. His previous assignments include seats in the Cook County Circuit Court’s Law Division and Juvenile Justice Division. Prior to becoming a judge, Walker had a varied private practice and worked as an administrative hearing officer for the City of Chicago.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated Walker as qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Walker was rated qualified by all three major bar groups.
Notable: In June, Walker was assigned to a vacancy on the Illinois Appellate Court.

Daniel Patrick Brennan: Chancery Division

Judge since: 2006
Prior to his election to the bench, Brennan was chief counsel for former Cook County Sheriff Michael Sheahan. Brennan currently serves in the mortgage foreclosure and mechanics lien section of the Chancery Division.
Bar Association ratings
This year: Both the CCL and the CBA rated Brennan as qualified, and the ISBA recommended him for retention. The CCL said Brennan “was consistently praised for his fairness and integrity and seen as a well-informed judge who has the ability to keep an even temper even when dealing with a high-volume courtroom.”
Past: In 2012, the CBA, CCL, and ISBA rated Brennan positively.
Notable: Brennan refusal to participate in any of the major bar associations’ screening processes when he ran for judge in 2006, resulting in negative ratings. His decision was met with some public scrutiny. The Chicago Tribune wrote the refusal was “usually a sign that a candidate is going to rely on political insiders, rather than legal credentials, to get elected.” The paper later reported Brennan and others were “elected due in part to the politically influential support of former Sheriff Michael Sheahan.”

Grace G. Dickler: Domestic Relations Division, presiding judge

Judge since: 1988
A previous version of the guide said Judge Dickler has been a judge since 1998. She has been a judge since 1988. Injustice Watch regrets the error.
Prior to joining the bench, Dickler worked at legal aid, human rights, and immigration organizations. She was an administrative law judge for the Illinois Human Rights Commission and a federal immigration judge before becoming an associate judge in 1988. She was among the first to hear divorce and child support cases in the Second Municipal District in Skokie. She later won election as a circuit judge in 2006. In 2012, Dickler was named co-chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission Language Access Committee. Dickler has received several awards related to access to justice.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated Dickler highly qualified, noting her dedication to bringing about systemic reforms in addition to her knowledge, fairness, and good temperament. The CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: In 2012, both the CBA and ISBA rated Judge Dickler as qualified. The CCL rated her “well qualified,” praising not only her administrative skills but also her reform efforts in running “a reportedly successful program through which lawyers volunteer to do emergency orders of protection for indigent persons.”
Notable: As presiding judge, Dickler has been involved in several significant changes Cook County’s Domestic Relations courts, notably the consolidation last year of divorce and parentage calls so that judges in the division hear both kinds of cases rather than one or the other. The change was made to treat the children of married and unmarried parents the same way, Dickler said at the time. In 2014 she and Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans instituted a new rule allowing all aspects of a domestic relations case to be mediated. She also began hearing cases involving incarcerated partners or parents using video calls, so prisoners could get divorces or negotiate time with their children.

Ellen L. Flannigan: Domestic Relations Division

Judge since: 2006
Before her election as a judge, Flannigan was an attorney for several law firms in Chicago and Tokyo, where she specialized in professional liability law, insurance law, and commercial and securities litigation. She also had a career as a registered nurse prior to becoming an attorney in 1988.
Bar Association ratings
This year: Both the CBA and the CCL rated Flannigan as qualified. The ISBA recommended her for retention. The CCL said “she is described as having good legal ability with rulings that are well reasoned and clearly stated. She is praised for her grasp of the law, for her ability to control the courtroom, and for her temperament.”
Past: During the 2012 retention races, Flannigan was rated positively by all three major bar groups. While the CCL noted that Flannigan was “performing adequately,” they also reported that some lawyers said she was not always well-prepared, and others said she could be insensitive when questioning domestic violence victims.
Notable: Flannigan has twice unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Illinois Appellate Court. Her husband, Thomas W. Flannigan, has unsuccessfully ran for seats on both the Cook County Circuit Court and the Illinois Supreme Court—three times as a Democrat, and once as a Republican. Both Flannigans have publicly stressed they do not take donations for their judicial campaigns. Unlike other judges running for retention, Flannigan does not appear on the Committee for Retention of Judges in Cook County’s website.

Carol M. Howard: Criminal Division

Former Public Defender

Judge since: 2006
Howard began her legal career practicing with a limited law license to represent indigent litigants in Washington state. She later taught business law at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and was also a session attorney for the Washington State Senate Judiciary Committee. She worked as a Cook County assistant public defender for nearly two decades before being elected judge. She presided over traffic and small claims cases before being transferred to the Criminal Division.
Bar Association ratings
This year: Both the CCL and the CBA rated Howard as qualified. The ISBA recommended her for retention. The CBA said “Judge Howard is an experienced judge and is well regarded for her knowledge of the law and good temperament.”
Past: All three bar associations rated Howard positively when she ran for retention in 2012, citing her good temperament.
Notable: Howard has presided over a number of high-profile criminal cases. Last year she gave five years of probation to a woman who, at age 19, had hidden her pregnancy and then dropped her newborn baby out of a window. The woman had pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter. She also presided over the case of a tanning salon owner accused of several rapes, blocking certain prosecution evidence against him but later finding him guilty of criminal sexual assault and sentencing him to 13 years. The severity of sentences imposed by Howard ranks her in the middle among the 24 Criminal Division judges who have handed down 1,000 or more sentences in the past six years, according to Injustice Watch’s analysis of sentencing data.

Jill C. Marisie: Third Municipal District (Rolling Meadows Courthouse)

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2006
Marisie was a Cook County assistant state’s attorney from 1991 to 1994. She also worked in private practice before being elected judge in 2006. She previously heard traffic cases and now hears both civil and criminal matters in the Rolling Meadows Courthouse.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: In 2012, Marisie was found qualified by all three groups.

James Michael McGing: Law Division

Judge since: 2006
McGing is assigned to the tax section; he hears cases related to eminent domain, challenges to various taxes, employment issues, and discrimination matters. Before becoming a judge, McGing worked as a partner at a private firm handling workers’ compensation and personal injury matters. He also served in various high-level positions in the Cook County Sheriff’s Department, as well as legal counsel and campaign manager to former Sheriff Michael Sheahan.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CBA rated McGing as qualified, and the CCL rated him as well qualified, noting that “he is respectful to all who appear before him, and he is reported to issue thorough, thoughtful, and accurate decisions.” The CCL added “he has worked for systemic improvements in the court system.” The ISBA recommended McGing for retention.
Past: In 2012, McGing received positive evaluations from CCL, CBA, and ISBA.
Notable: McGing was implicated, though never charged, in a campaign finance scandal when he was campaign manager for Sheriff Michael Sheahan. The Chicago Tribune reported in December 2003 that McGing appeared to have instructed employees to skirt rules by using the names of relatives to make donations to the campaign. The paper later reported McGing and others were “elected due in part to the politically influential support of former Sheriff Michael Sheahan.”

Michael McHale: Criminal Division

Past Controversy Notable Reversals Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2006
McHale worked for years as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney, where his assignments included the cold case homicide unit and working as a supervisor of the preliminary hearings unit. He was inducted in 2005 to the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame for his “political activism, neighborhood organizing, and professional achievement” as an openly gay assistant state’s attorney. McHale currently presides over felony cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CBA and CCL rated him as qualified, and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: McHale was rated positively by CCL, CBA, and ISBA in 2012.
Notable: Injustice Watch reviewed McHale’s record and found several controversies during his time as a criminal court judge. He was accused of engaging in unethical conversations with prosecutors during a murder trial last year. He also dismissed several jurors in a chaotic gang conspiracy trial amid allegations of racial bias in the jury room; defense attorneys contend he was wrong not to allow them to question the dismissed jurors. In 2016 the Illinois Appellate Court called McHale’s sentence of 12 years in prison for a defendant convicted of burglarizing a school—for having stolen $44 in loose change from a vending machine at a college— “anomalous and absurd.” The Injustice Watch analysis of criminal court judges sentencing data found McHale ranks in the middle in sentencing severity among the 24 judges assigned to the Criminal Division who have presided over 1,000 or more cases in the past six years.

James Patrick Murphy: Domestic Violence and Elder Law and Miscellaneous Remedies Divisions

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2006
Murphy was a Cook County assistant state’s attorney for 11 years before being elected to the bench in 2006. Murphy was initially assigned to traffic court before being transferred to the Domestic Violence Division.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated him well qualified. They noted his good courtroom management and his respectful nature. The CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Murphy was rated positively by the three major bar groups.
Notable: Murphy is married to attorney Jennifer Burke, making him the son-in-law of prominent Chicago alderman Ed Burke and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne Burke.

Thomas W. Murphy: Fifth Municipal District (Bridgeview Courthouse)

Judge since: 2006
Murphy began his legal career in private practice, specializing in personal injury, real estate, and workers’ compensation law. He then served four terms as alderman in Chicago’s 18th Ward, from 1991 to 2006. Murphy currently serves as the supervising judge of Bridgeview’s civil case courtrooms.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified, and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: The CCL, CBA, ISBA all rated Murphy “qualified” in 2012.
Notable: In 2001, as alderman, Murphy attempted to become the first white member of the City Council’s Black Caucus, citing his majority-Black constituency. Daley defended his bid, saying “everybody should be able to represent anyone and speak on their behalf.” Murphy was unsuccessful, stating that “The only reason I was given [for the lack of caucus support] was that I’m not an African-American elected official.”

Ramon Ocasio III: Fourth Municipal District (Maywood Courthouse)

Former Public Defender

Judge since: 2006
Ocasio began his legal career as a public defender for four years before working in a consumer fraud office of the Illinois Attorney General for eight years. He then returned to the Cook County Public Defender’s Office as a supervisor. As a judge, Ocasio has previously set bail at the criminal courthouse, and presided over misdemeanors, preliminary hearings, and felonies in Maywood, where he has also presided over the Drug Treatment Court. He is president of the Illinois Latino Judges Association.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Judge Ocasio was found qualified by the CBA, the CCL, and the ISBA.

Mary Colleen Roberts: Domestic Relations Division, Fourth Municipal District (Maywood Courthouse)

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2006
Prior to taking the bench, Roberts served as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney and as assistant corporation counsel in the City of Chicago Law Department. Before that, she was a social worker. She has previously presided over criminal, municipal, and juvenile cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated her well qualified, the CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: Roberts was found qualified by all three major bar groups in 2012.
Notable: In January 2017, Roberts was sued by a soldier after she held him in contempt of court when he did not show up at a hearing at which he was ordered to pay $10,000 to his ex-wife. The soldier claimed that he was not permitted to leave his military service to attend the hearing, as his unit was preparing at the time to be deployed. The case was eventually dismissed in April 2017.

Diane M. Shelley: Law Division

Judge since: 2006
Shelley has previously presided over domestic violence cases, evictions, and municipal civil jury trials. She started her legal career working in legal aid in Florida and moved to Chicago to work in private practice, with a specialty in contested divorce and child custody cases. Right before being elected to the bench, she was the head assistant attorney for the Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: Shelley was found qualified by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA in 2012.

Celia Louise Gamrath: Chancery Division

Judge since: 2010
Prior to becoming a judge in 2010, Gamrath worked in private practice and as an adjunct faculty member at John Marshall Law School. She has frequently published writings on legal topics in Chicago Lawyer Magazine and the Illinois Bar Journal. Gamrath has previously presided over domestic relations and traffic cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: Gamrath received qualified ratings from the CBA and the CCL, and was recommended for retention by the ISBA. The CCL said Gamrath “is well regarded for her knowledge of the law, diligence, work ethic, and fine temperament.”
Past: Gamrath received all qualified ratings, as well as a “highly qualified” rating by the CBA, in 2012.
Notable: Gamrath presided over a lawsuit against her fellow judges which challenged the constitutionality of money bail in Cook County. She dismissed the suit this year, saying she lacked the power to find bond court judges had violated the Constitution in their bail-setting practices.

Lorna Propes: Law Division

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2010
Prior to becoming a judge, Propes worked as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney, where she became one of the first women prosecutors in Illinois assigned to try felony cases. Propes then went into private practice where she worked on complex civil litigation, focused on persons injured by negligence, mass torts, and class action product liability. She was appointed judge in 2010 and elected to a full term in 2012. She received the Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated her well qualified, the CBA rated her qualified, and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: Propes received a “well qualified” rating from the CCL in 2012 and a “highly qualified” rating from the CBA; the ISBA also rated her positively.

Tommy Brewer: Sixth Municipal District, presiding judge (Markham Courthouse)

Past Controversy

Judge since: 2010
Following five years with the FBI, Brewer served as an assistant Cook County state’s attorney and as a fraud investigator for the Massachusetts Attorney General before working as a sole practitioner for 14 years. He has served in the sixth municipal district since 2013 and became its presiding judge in 2017.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Brewer was found qualified by the CBA and CCL. The ISBA found him not qualified because “his handling of personal financial obligations was questioned” — a reference to his significant debt to the IRS.
Notable: The Sun-Times reported on Brewer’s debts in 2016, noting that the IRS was seeking $227,559 in income taxes from Brewer’s days in private practice. An Injustice Watch review of Brewer’s annual statements of economic interests shows that Brewer reported a debt to the IRS of between $100,000 and $250,000 in 2010; his most recent form, filed on April 16 for the calendar year 2017, lists the debt at between $15,000 and $50,000.

Andrea M. Schleifer: Domestic Relations Division

Negative Ratings

Judge since: 2010
Schleifer has previously worked in the traffic court, evictions court, and parentage court. Prior to serving as a judge, she was a private attorney for 31 years, concentrating on general civil litigation and family law.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her as qualified. The ISBA did not recommend Schleifer, saying that some attorneys found her "outstanding" while others reported "she either does not know the current law or does not apply it properly."
Past: Schleifer was rated positively, including “well qualified” by the CCL, by major bar groups when she ran for judge in 2012.
Notable: Schleifer was involved in the amendment, implementation, and drafting of several Illinois family laws, such as the Parentage Act of 1984 and the Adoption Reform Act.

Thomas R. Allen: Chancery Division

Former Public Defender

Judge since: 2010
Allen was appointed as a judge in December 2010 and elected to a full term in 2012. Prior to being a judge, he was a Cook County assistant public defender for a decade, trying homicide cases during his later years. He later worked in private practice while serving 17 years as a Chicago alderman in the 38th Ward. On the bench, Allen has presided in the Probate and Chancery Divisions.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Allen received positive ratings from all three major bar associations when he ran for judge in 2012

Erica L. Reddick: Criminal Division

Former Public Defender

Judge since: 2010
Reddick worked in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office for more than 19 years, where she served as Deputy Chief of the Felony Trial Division before her 2010 appointment to the bench. She was later elected to a full term in 2012. She has also taught classes at multiple local law schools. Reddick previously served in the Child Protection Division and traffic court. She is a member of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Judicial Conference and is an advisor of the Committee on Education.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated Reddick as qualified, and the ISBA recommended her for retention. The CBA said Reddick “is well regarded for her fairness and possesses the requisite legal knowledge and experience to serve as a Circuit Court Judge.”
Past: In 2012, Reddick was rated positively by major bar groups, including “highly qualified” by the ISBA. The CBA noted that she is “well regarded for her work ethic and integrity.”
Notable: Reddick has been assigned to preside over two recent murder cases involving the deaths of Chicago police officers. Last year she sentenced a man convicted of being the getaway driver in the killing of an off-duty police officer to 84 years. In the pending case of Shomari Legghette, accused of shooting and killing a Chicago police commander in downtown Chicago, Reddick has issued a gag order prohibiting the parties from discussing the case publicly. The sentences handed down by Reddick ranks in the middle in sentencing severity among the 24 Criminal Division judges who have handed down more than 1,000 sentences in the past six years, according to Injustice Watch’s analysis of sentencing data.

Aicha Marie MacCarthy: Probate Division

Judge since: 2012
Judge MacCarthy currently serves as a circuit judge in the Probate Division, where she presides over Adult Guardianship Estate cases. Before becoming a judge, she focused on probate, real estate, and criminal issues as a solo practitioner. She also prosecuted Municipal Code violations for the City of Chicago, served as a hearing officer, handled real estate litigation for the Chicago Housing Authority, and worked for Mayor Richard M. Daley from 2001 to 2004.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CBA and CCL rated MacCarthy as qualified, and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: When she first ran in 2012, MacCarthy was rated negatively by the CCL and the CBA, both of whom cited her lack of experience. The ISBA rated MacCarthy qualified and said she is “considered to have excellent professional experience and legal knowledge and ability.”

Lionel Jean-Baptiste: Domestic Relations Division

Negative Ratings Notable Reversals

Judge since: 2011
Jean-Baptiste presides over family law cases, including marriage dissolution and unmarried parental responsibilities to children. He previously presided over child support cases in the First Municipal District. Prior to becoming a judge, Jean-Baptiste served as the 2nd Ward alderman in Evanston. He is a founding member and past president of the Haitian American Lawyers Association of Illinois. He was appointed to the bench in 2011 and won a full circuit judge term by election in 2012.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified. The ISBA did not recommend Jean-Baptiste, citing reports from attorneys "that he needlessly continues matters ready for a hearing, does not wish to conduct trials, doesn’t always follow the law, and appears to mediate cases from the bench."
Past: Jean-Baptiste was found qualified by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA in 2012.
Notable: In 2016, the Illinois Appellate Court reversed him for failing to issue a stronger protection order for an abused woman, and wrote that he issued comments from the bench that could sseem "callous and insensitive" to domestic violence victims. Baptiste told the woman, that she had to “respect that [her ex-partner] loves you and he still likes you.

Michael R. Clancy: Pretrial Division

Past Controversy Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2011
Clancy worked as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney for twelve years and then as a criminal defense attorney for nine years before becoming a judge. He was appointed to the bench in March 2011 and elected in 2012. He currently serves in the Pretrial Division, hearing felony and misdemeanor bond court cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated Clancy qualified, but cited his history this past year of ordering and imposing money bond more often and in substantially higher amounts than other Central Bond Court judges. The CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, the CBA, CCL, and ISBA all rated Clancy as “qualified.”
Notable: In September 2017, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans created a new division of judges to handle bond court proceedings, in which Clancy was included, and ordered judges to consider defendants’ financial circumstances when setting bail. Injustice Watch’s observation throughout the first month found that Clancy issued cash bonds higher than the defendant could pay 25 percent of the time, compared to less than two percent for other judges. A report issued September 2018 by the Chicago Community Bond Fund found that Clancy still sets unaffordable bonds at a higher rate than any other judge, in apparent conflict with Evans’s order.

Regina Ann Scannicchio: Domestic Relations Division

Judge since: 2011
Before becoming a judge, Scannicchio worked in private practice family law, and was often appointed as a child representative for contested custody proceedings. She was appointed and 2011 and elected in 2012 with no opposition. She currently oversees cases involving child custody and support, marriage dissolution, and orders of protection.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: Scannicchio was found qualified by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA in 2012.

Diann Karen Marsalek: First Municipal District (Daley Center)

Judge since: 2011
Marsalek was appointed to the bench in 2011 and went on to win a full term in 2012. Prior to her judgeship, Marsalek served as a deputy clerk of the Cook County Circuit Court, chief legal counsel for the Illinois Department of Corrections, an assistant state attorney general, and a hearing officer for the Illinois Secretary of State. She is supervising judge of the First Municipal District’s traffic court.
Bar Association ratings
This year: Marsalek was rated qualified by the CCL and CBA and was recommended for retention by the ISBA.
Past: In 2012, she was rated “not qualified” by CCL due to concerns that most of her litigation experience was earlier in her career and in federal—not state—court. She received positive reviews from the CBA and ISBA.
Notable: Marsalek previously ran four times for judge in 1994, 1996, 2010, and 2012. The first was only five years after she got her law degree.

Pamela M. Leeming: Fourth Municipal District (Maywood Courthouse)

Former Public Defender

Judge since: 2009
Leeming served as an assistant Cook County public defender for 19 years before being appointed judge in 2009. In 2010, she was defeated when she attempted to get elected to the bench, but the Supreme Court re-appointed her. She won election to the bench in 2012. Leeming is the first Pakistani American circuit court judge in Cook County.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: Leeming was rated “qualified” by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA in 2012.
Notable: Her husband, Timothy Leeming, is a longtime Cook County public defender. He ran for judge in the March 2018 primary but was defeated.

Larry G. Axelrood: Law Division

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2005
Axelrood previously worked as an assistant Cook County state’s attorney and later as a criminal defense attorney. He became an associate judge in 2005 and was elected to a circuit judge term in 2012. He currently hears civil jury trials in the Law Division and previously heard traffic matters at the Daley Center and criminal matters in various county courthouses. He has also presided over two specialty courts: the Veterans Court and the Mental Health Court.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL rated him well qualified, the CBA rated him qualified, and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Axelrood was rated “highly qualified” or “well qualified” ratings from all three major bar groups. The CBA noted that he “possesses an outstanding demeanor and temperament and is highly regarded for his knowledge of the law and ability.”
Notable: In 2012, Axelrood received the highest bar association ratings out of all candidates in his race for judge in the 9th judicial subcircuit. Axelrood once faced controversy as a lawyer when a client who witnessed a double murder alleged Axelrood told him to go along with what the prosecutor wanted. That allegation was found not credible after a post-conviction hearing.

Carl B. Boyd: Sixth Municipal District (Markham Courthouse), Criminal Division

Past Controversy

Judge since: 2012
As a judge, Boyd has presided over a number of areas, including evictions, debt collection, and traffic matters. Since 2017, Boyd has heard felony cases at the Markham courthouse. Before becoming a judge, Boyd worked in private practice, focusing on criminal defense, bankruptcy, real estate transactions, personal injury, and probate. Boyd won the Illinois Judicial Council President’s Award in 2016 and 2017.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CBA and CCL rated Boyd as qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention. The CBA said Boyd “is well regarded for his diligence, work ethic, and excellent demeanor.”
Past: In 2012, the CCL, CBA, and ISBA rated Boyd “not qualified” for the bench. The CCL cited his limited trial work in its reasoning for this rating.
Notable: When he ran in 2012, Boyd was arrested for allegedly stealing his opponent's signs. His opponent ended up deciding not to press charges after Boyd won the election.

Daniel R. Degnan: Probate Division

Judge since: 2012
Before becoming a judge Degnan worked in private practice, as chief deputy Cook County treasurer, and as executive director of the Cook County Employees’ Pension Fund. On the bench, he has previously served in the Domestic Relations Division and in traffic court.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Degnan did not submit any qualifications and was not recommended by any major bar associations.
Notable: Degnan is the son of Tim Degnan, former Mayor Richard M. Daley’s top strategist. Degnan ran unopposed in 2012 after all four of his opponents, including a sitting judge, left the race. A Chicago Tribunecolumn accused him of leveraging his father’s political clout to pave the way to the bench, and later an editorial was published lambasting his unopposed run as an example of Democratic Party machine politics.

John H. Ehrlich: Law Division

Judge since: 2012
Ehrlich began his career with six years in private practice before joining the City of Chicago Corporation Counsel’s Office, where he represented the city. Ehrlich has previously presided over traffic cases and chancery cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Ehrlich was given positive ratings by the bar associations.

Terry Gallagher: Fifth Municipal District (Bridgeview Courthouse)

Judge since: 2012
Prior to his election to the bench, Gallagher served in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps for five years and was honorably discharged in 1992. He then went on to establish his own firm where he specialized in criminal defense and personal injury. Gallagher heard traffic cases in Chicago before being transferred to hear municipal cases in Bridgeview.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, the CCL, CBA, and ISBA all found Gallagher qualified.

William G. Gamboney: Criminal Division

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2012
Prior to joining the bench, Gamboney spent 15 years as a Cook County assistant state’s attorney and 18 years as a sole practitioner, where he focused on criminal law and personal injury. As a judge, he has previously served in traffic court and the Juvenile Justice Division.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Gamboney was rated positively by all three major bar associations.
Notable: Gamboney served as one of disgraced former Chicago Police Cmdr. Jon Burge’s defense attorneys in his federal perjury trial. As a judge, he ruled in favor of a police torture victim, Jaime Hauad, who had been convicted of murder, and ordered him released earlier this year.

Elizabeth Mary Hayes: Fifth Municipal District (Bridgeview Courthouse)

Former Public Defender

Judge since: 2012
Hayes began her legal career as an attorney at the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission before spending most of her career as a hearing officer and court coordinator in the Cook County Circuit Court’s Child Protection Division. She also worked as an assistant public defender before being elected as a judge. She previously served on the bench in traffic court and in the Sixth Municipal District.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: All three major bar associations rated Hayes not qualified for the bench when she ran for judge in 2012. They cited her lack of experience with complex cases.

Martin C. Kelley: Third Municipal District (Rolling Meadows Courthouse)

Judge since: 2012
Kelley worked for his family’s firm for 20 years prior to becoming a judge. He ran unsuccessfully in 2006 and was elected in 2012 after running unopposed. In 2015, he received a “Champion of Mediation” award from the Center for Conflict Resolution. He currently hears non-jury civil matters; previously, he has heard traffic and misdemeanor cases and has presided in mental health, veterans, and parentage cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012 Kelley was found not qualified by the CCL, which was concerned his practice lacked depth and that he had little “experience in complex litigation matters.” Kelley was, however, found qualified by the ISBA that year. He did not submit himself for evaluation by the CBA and so was found “not recommended.”

Kimberly D. Lewis: Child Protection Division of the Juvenile Court

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2012
Lewis was elected to the bench in 2012. Before she was a judge, she worked as an assistant state’s attorney in Cook County. She also worked as a private practice attorney, dealing with cases including environmental and consumer fraud.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated her qualified and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: Lewis was given negative ratings by the CBA, CCL, and ISBA in 2012, for declining to appear for the evaluation process.

Edward M. Maloney: First Municipal District (Branch 44 Courthouse)

Judge since: 2012
Maloney is known for his expertise in DUI law; he litigated many cases involving DUI arrests, served on related task forces, and helped to craft legislation on the issue. Maloney presides over probable cause hearings in felony cases. Before becoming a judge, Maloney worked in private practice for more than 33 years, primarily on criminal defense and administrative review cases. He spent more than two decades of that time also working as general counsel for the Chicago Police Sergeants’ Association Union.
Bar Association ratings
This year: Both the CCL and CBA rated Maloney as qualified, and the ISBA recommended him for retention. The CCL said Maloney “is considered to be exceptionally knowledgeable about his area of the law, and has good legal ability. He has a good temperament.”
Past: Maloney received positive ratings from the CCL, CBA, and ISBA in 2012.
Notable: Prior to becoming a judge, Maloney was connected to controversy while serving as president of the board of trustees of the Lyons Township School Treasurer’s Office from 2005 to 2012. He resigned from the elected post during his run for judge as the organization’s treasurer was found to have improperly paid himself, and eventually embezzled roughly $1.5 million over two decades, the Better Government Association reported. Maloney maintained that he and the two other trustees knew nothing about the theft of the school funds; the trustees were criticized for not exerting more oversight.

Lisa Ann Marino: Chancery Division, First Municipal District (Daley Center)

Former Prosecutor Negative Ratings

Judge since: 2012
Marino was a prosecutor with the Cook County State's Attorney's Office for eight years, then spent the rest of her legal career in private practice in her own firm before being elected to the bench in 2012. Marino previously heard cases in the Juvenile Justice Division and in traffic court, and now is assigned to hear both mortgage foreclosure and building code violation cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL found her qualified. The CBA rated her “not recommended,” saying there are “significant concerns about Judge Marino’s work ethic, punctuality, diligence, and knowledge of the law.” In a response to the CBA's negative rating, Marino mentioned that she was found "qualified" by many other bar associations including the CCL which noted that they believe she is "knowledgeable," "thorough," "well prepared," and has "good court management skills". The ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: She was rated as qualified by the CCL, CBA, and ISBA when she ran in 2012.

Michael Tully Mullen: Chancery Division

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2012
Prior to his appointment to the bench, Mullen worked as an assistant Illinois attorney general for three years, and an assistant U.S. attorney for six years, before spending 20 years as a private attorney in personal injury law. He received the Department of Justice’s Special Achievement Award for Sustained Superior Performance in 1988 and 1990.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: In 2012, Mullen received the “highly qualified” designation from the CBA, “highly recommended” from the ISBA and “well qualified” from the CCL. dismissed a case brought by former Illinois governor Pat Quinn calling for the Chicago Board of Education to be transformed into an elected body rather than a body appointed by the mayor. Mullen ruled that mayoral control of the board does not violate the voting rights of Chicago residents.

Karen Lynn O'Malley: Probate Division

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2012
O’Malley hears cases related to the wills and estates of the deceased. She was previously assigned to preside over traffic, criminal, and civil matters in the Daley Center. Prior to her judicial career, O’Malley worked as an assistant state’s attorney for more than 16 years. O’Malley has also worked in private practice, and also taught at Chicago-area law schools.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and the CBA rated O’Malley as qualified, and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: O’Malley received positive ratings in 2012 when she ran for judge. The CBA, CCL, and ISBA all found her qualified.

Paul S. Pavlus: Second Municipal District (Skokie Courthouse)

Former Prosecutor

Judge since: 2012
Pavlus previously served in traffic court at the Daley Center. Prior to taking the bench, Pavlus served as an assistant state’s attorney for 19 years.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CCL and CBA rated him qualified and the ISBA recommended him for retention.
Past: Pavlus was rated “qualified” by the CCL, CBA, and ISBA in 2012.

Cynthia Ramirez: Juvenile Justice Division

Former Public Defender

Judge since: 2012
Ramirez began her legal career as an assistant Cook County public defender. She then left for private practice for a year, then served as an administrative law judge with the Illinois Department of Human Services and with the Illinois Department of Public Health. As a judge, she has previously presided over traffic cases and domestic violence cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CBA and the CCL rated Ramirez as qualified, and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: In 2012, Ramirez received positive evaluations from the CCL, CBA, and ISBA.

Beatriz Santiago: Third Municipal District (Rolling Meadows Courthouse)

Past Controversy Former Public Defender

Judge since: 2012
Prior to being elected to the bench, Santiago spent 13 years at the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. In 2009, she was named as one of the Law Bulletin’s “Top 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch.” Santiago previously heard traffic cases and misdemeanor cases.
Bar Association ratings
This year: The CBA and the CCL rated Santiago as qualified, and the ISBA recommended her for retention.
Past: Santiago was rated positively by the CCL and ISBA in 2012. The CBA rated Santiago negatively, citing her lack of experience.
Notable: In 2016 Santiago received a formal sanction from the Illinois Courts Commission, which found she had violated the judicial canons by offering conflicting statements about where she lived. The commission censure is a rare act—Santiago is the only current Cook County Circuit judge to have been publicly disciplined by the courts commission in at least the last 20 years. The basis for her discipline: Santiago stated when she first ran for the 6th judicial subcircuit seat that she lived in her parents’ home, not in the house she owned. But as she sought a mortgage on her home, Santiago listed that she lived in the home she owned, which qualified her for a lower mortgage.

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Most candidates running to be Cook County judge, including all the countywide candidates, are uncontested in November after having won their primary elections in March. But the following primary victors are facing contested elections this fall. You can only vote in the races in your county judicial subcircuit. Once elected, there is no difference in responsibility of the countywide judges and subcircuit judges.

Injustice Watch compiled information about these candidates, including surveys of those seeking to be judge, during the primary elections.

12th Subcircuit - Maki vacancy