Thursday, March 08, 2012

Organizing the Data: Supreme Court - Fitzgerald vacancy

Candidates are listed in the order that they appear on the ballot, first in the Democratic primary, then in the Republican primary. Information on this post will be updated as time permits until the March 20, 2012 primary.
Updated 3/17/12

Democratic Candidates

Mary Jane Theis - #101


Campaign Website

Questionnaire Responses: Chicago Tribune, Illinois Civil Justice League

Video Interview: NTNM

Bar Association Evaluations

The Chicago Bar Association says:
Justice Mary Jane Theis is “Highly Qualified” for the office of Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Justice Theis was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1974 and served as an Assistant Cook County Public Defender until her appointment to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1983. Justice Theis served in the First Municipal Division from 1983-1987; in the Criminal Division from 1988-1992; and in the Chancery Division before her appointment and election to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1994. In 2010, Justice Theis was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court. Justice Theis is highly respected for her legal knowledge and experience, outstanding temperament, and unquestioned integrity. Justice Theis is intelligent, thoughtful, and dedicated to the law and our justice system.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers says:
Justice Mary Jane Theis was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2010. She was elected as an Associate Judge in 1983 and was elected to the Circuit Court in 1988. In the Circuit Court of Cook County, Justice Theis was assigned to the Chancery Division in 1993, and from 1988 to 1993 she was assigned to the Criminal Division. From 1983 to 1987, she served in the First Municipal District. Before taking the bench she served as an Assistant Cook County Public Defender. Justice Theis has taught at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, Northwestern University School of Law, and John Marshall Law School. She was the author of “Recent amendment to Supreme Court Rule 304(b) and its impact on family law cases,” and Editor in Chief of “The Benchbook Project.” Justice Theis has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Judges Association, Catholic Lawyer of the Year from the Catholic Lawyers Guild, Celtic Lawyer of the Year from the Celtic Lawyers Society of Chicago, Mary Heftel Hooton Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, and the Access to Justice Award from the Illinois State Bar Association.

Judge Theis is considered to have outstanding legal ability and has received accolades from her judicial performance in a variety of trial court arenas, in the Appellate Court, and as an appointed Supreme Court Justice. She is praised as a scholar who both teaches and publishes. Her integrity is unquestioned, and she has an excellent temperament. She was patient as both a trial judge and an appellate judge. She is fair and even-handled to all parties appearing before her. She is also praised for being exceptionally hard-working and for opinions that are well-reasoned and well-written. The Council finds her Highly Qualified for the Illinois Supreme Court.
Other Bar Association Evaluations:
Asian American Bar Association of the
Greater Chicago Area		Recommended
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater ChicagoRecommended
Cook County Bar AssociationRecommended
Decalogue Society of LawyersHighly Recommended
Hellenic Bar AssociationRecommended
Hispanic Lawyers Association of IllinoisHighly Qualified
Illinois State Bar AssociationHighly Qualified
Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of ChicagoHighly Recommended
Puerto Rican Bar Association of IllinoisHighly Qualified
Women’s Bar Association of IllinoisRecommended

Endorsements
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Federation of Labor
Fraternal Order of Police, Chicago Lodge No. 7
Illinois Fraternal Order of Police
Personal PAC
Italian American Political Coalition
Chicago Fire Fighters Union, Local No. 2

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Aurelia Marie Pucinski - #102


Campaign Website

Questionnaire Response: Chicago Tribune

Candidate Statement: Cook County Clerk

Video Interviews: NTNM, Sonny Hersh Election Special, Issue Forum

Bar Association Evaluations

The Chicago Bar Association says:
Justice Aurelia Marie Pucinski is “Qualified” for the office of Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Justice Pucinski was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1976 and was elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2004 and to the Illinois Appellate Court in 2010. During her brief tenure on the Illinois Appellate Court, Justice Pucinski has heard a number of major civil and criminal appeals and has written 14 opinions. Justice Pucinski’s management experience, knowledge of administrative law, and commitment to public service would serve her well on the Illinois Supreme Court.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers says:
Judge Aurelia Pucinski was elected to the trial court bench in 2004 and to the Appellate Court in 2010. Before becoming a judge, she had a long history of public service. From 1998 to 2000, she served as the elected Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County where she made important improvements in the operation of that office. The Council found her Not Qualified when she ran for a trial court seat in 2004, saying that she lacked the requisite legal experience. The Council also found her Not Qualified when she ran for the Appellate Court, saying that while she was respected for her temperament, many lawyers appearing before her in the trial courts found her willingness to take an advocacy role while on the bench to be inappropriate. The Council was also concerned that she did not have appellate court experience.

During the current evaluation, many respondents questioned her knowledge of the law, although most praised her temperament. Some respondents were concerned that as a trial judge she continued to play an advocacy role and questioned whether she could be impartial as a judge in the Appellate Court or as a Supreme Court Justice. The Council finds her Not Qualified for the Illinois Supreme Court.
Other Bar Association Evaluations:
Asian American Bar Association of the
Greater Chicago Area		Not Recommended
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater ChicagoNot Recommended
Cook County Bar AssociationRecommended
Decalogue Society of LawyersNot Recommended
Hellenic Bar AssociationRecommended
Hispanic Lawyers Association of IllinoisQualified
Illinois State Bar AssociationNot Qualified
Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of ChicagoNot Recommended
Puerto Rican Bar Association of IllinoisNot Qualified

Women’s Bar Association of IllinoisNot Recommended

Endorsements
Chicago Police Sergeants' Association
Italian American Political Coalition
United Hellenic Voters of America
Jewish Chicago
Advocates Society
Illinois Committee for Honest Government

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Joy Virginia Cunningham - #103


Campaign Website

Questionnaire Responses: Chicago Tribune, Illinois Civil Justice League

Video Interview: NTNM

Bar Association Evaluations

The Chicago Bar Association says:
Justice Joy V. Cunningham is “Highly Qualified” for the office of Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Justice Cunningham was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1982 and had practice experience in the government, private and corporate sector before becoming an Associate Judge in 1997. Justice Cunningham served as a judge hearing civil and misdemeanor criminal cases until 2000 when she became Senior Vice President, Corporate Secretary and General Counsel for Northwestern Memorial Healthcare. In 2006, Justice Cunningham was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court and is currently serving as the Presiding Justice of the Appellate Court’s Second Division, First District. Justice Cunningham is hardworking and well regarded for her legal knowledge and broad range of practice and judicial experience.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers says:
Judge Joy V. Cunningham was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 2006. She was elected as an Associate Judge in 1997 and served for three years before leaving the bench. From 2000 to 2006 she was Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Northwestern Memorial Healthcare. She served as Associate General Counsel for Loyola University from 1986 to 1996. Her legal career also included private practice and she served as a judicial law clerk to Glen Johnson of the Illinois Appellate Court. She is a past president of the Chicago Bar Association. She was a guest lecturer at Loyola University School of Law in 2008 and 2009. She does a considerable amount of teaching which requires extensive preparation of written materials which she provides to others in the judiciary in the context of seminars, conferences or reference materials. She has won numerous awards from 2005 to 2011.

Judge Cunningham was praised as a good practitioner and as a solid, hard-working jurist with good legal ability and temperament. As a trial judge she heard both civil and criminal law matters. As an Appellate Court Judge, she continues to be praised for her work ethic and temperament. She reportedly asks good questions during oral argument and writes well-reasoned opinions. The Council in 2006 found her Well Qualified for the Appellate Court and finds her Well Qualified for the Supreme Court.
Other Bar Association Evaluations:
Asian American Bar Association of the
Greater Chicago Area		Recommended
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater ChicagoRecommended
Cook County Bar AssociationRecommended
Decalogue Society of LawyersRecommended
Hellenic Bar AssociationRecommended
Hispanic Lawyers Association of IllinoisHighly Qualified
Illinois State Bar AssociationQualified
Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of ChicagoRecommended
Puerto Rican Bar Association of IllinoisQualified
Women’s Bar Association of IllinoisRecommended

Endorsements
IVI-IPO
Chicago Teachers Union
Illinois Federation of Teachers
Latin American Police Association
Chicago Defender

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Thomas W. Flannigan - #104


Campaign Website

Questionnaire Response: Chicago Tribune

Bar Association Evaluations

The Chicago Bar Association says:
Thomas W. Flannigan is “Not Recommended” for the office of Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Mr. Flannigan was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1983 and for the past 18 years has been a solo practitioner concentrating in civil and international law. Mr. Flannigan has had limited trial and appellate experience. In addition, Mr. Flannigan has no prior judicial experience. At this stage of his career, Mr. Flannigan does not possess the requisite practice and appellate experience to serve as a Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers says:
Thomas Flannigan has been a lawyer since 1983. He has a Master’s degree in International Relations. After clerking with Illinois Supreme Court Justice William Clark, he served as an attorney with the firms of Arvey Hodes and Freeborn & Peters, concentrating on international business transactions and litigation. He worked as an attorney in Japan in 1988 and between 1991 and 1992. Since 1990, he has been a sole practitioner focusing on civil litigation, intellectual property matters, and estate planning. He has had a limited number of cases go to trial but has been involved in other aspects of complex civil litigation matters. The Council has found Mr. Flannigan to be Qualified to be a Circuit Judge. He is considered to have good legal ability. But a successful candidate for the Supreme Court Justice should have a broader range of experience and must demonstrate the analytic thinking through either work as a trial or appellate court judge or comparable experience. The Council finds Mr. Flannigan Not Qualified for the Illinois Supreme Court.
Other Bar Association Evaluations:
Asian American Bar Association of the
Greater Chicago Area		Not Qualified
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater ChicagoNot Recommended
Cook County Bar AssociationNot Evaluated
Decalogue Society of LawyersNot Recommended
Hellenic Bar AssociationNot Recommended
Hispanic Lawyers Association of IllinoisNot Recommended
Illinois State Bar AssociationNot Qualified
Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of ChicagoNot Recommended
Puerto Rican Bar Association of IllinoisQualified

Women’s Bar Association of IllinoisNot Recommended



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Republican Candidate

James G. Riley - #101


No Campaign Website known

Bar Association Evaluations

The Chicago Bar Association says:
Judge James G. Riley is “Qualified” for the office of Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. Judge Riley was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1982 and was engaged in the private practice of law until his election to the Circuit Court in 1996. Judge Riley is assigned to the Probate Division and handles the disabled adult and decedent calls. Judge Riley is widely known for his integrity and strong work ethic. References praise him for his grasp of the intricacies of probate law and efficiently handling voluminous calls including the issuing of opinions.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers says:
Judge James G. Riley was elected to the Circuit Court in 1996 and currently sits in the Probate Division. He has been in this Division for most of his judicial career. He was in private practice before being elected to the bench. He teaches at the John Marshall Law School.

He is regarded as being knowledgeable about the law and a good problem-solver. He
listens to all parties before him and is praised for his even-temperament, integrity and decisiveness. The Council, however, is concerned that his judicial experience has been narrow and we are unaware of scholarly works that he has published. He has demonstrated skills that make him a good Circuit Judge but a Supreme Court justice requires a broader understanding of the law. The Council finds him Not Qualified for the Supreme Court.
Other Bar Association Evaluations:
Asian American Bar Association of the
Greater Chicago Area		Recommended
Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater ChicagoRecommended
Cook County Bar AssociationRecommended
Decalogue Society of LawyersRecommended
Hellenic Bar AssociationRecommended
Hispanic Lawyers Association of IllinoisQualified
Illinois State Bar AssociationQualified
Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of ChicagoRecommended
Puerto Rican Bar Association of IllinoisQualified
Women’s Bar Association of IllinoisRecommended


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Related: Video from two Supreme Court Candidate Forums

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