Illinois judicial candidates get earlier start than ever

A story by Abdon M. Pallasch in this morning's Chicago Sun-Times about the several candidates jockeying for the post of Cook County State's Attorney mentioned that the formal slatemaking meeting of the Cook County Democratic Party will be held on September 6.

Slatemaking is so early this year because the primary election date has been moved up to February 5, 2008. All the other deadlines move up with it.

Petitions are already in circulation for judicial hopefuls. Ward and township committeemen have already heard from lawyers hoping for support. Petitions will be filed in Sprinfield starting October 29, 2007. Here is a link to information provided by the State Board of Elections for judicial candidates.

As of today, August 27, the State Board of Elections shows these judicial offices open in Cook County:

SUPREME COURT

Vacancy of the Hon. Mary Ann G. McMorrow

APPELLATE COURT
Vacancy of the Hon. Anne M. Burke
Vacancy of the Hon. Calvin C. Campbell

COOK COUNTY CIRCUIT
Countywide Vacancies
Vacancy of the Hon. Barbara J. Disko
Vacancy of the Hon. Francis W. Glowacki
Vacancy of the Hon. Michael T. Healy
Vacancy of the Hon. Michael R. Keehan
Vacancy of the Hon. Gay-Lloyd Lott
Vacancy of the Hon. Anthony S. Montelione
Vacancy of the Hon. Michael J. Murphy
Vacancy of the Hon. Julia M. Nowicki
Vacancy of the Hon. Mary Maxwell Thomas

Subcircuit Vacancies
1st Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Edna Turkington

3rd Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. David R. Donnersberger

4th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Lon W. Shultz

5th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Bernetta D. Bush
Additional Judgeship A

6th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Raymond A. Figueroa

7th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Anthony L. Young

8th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Nancy Drew Sheehan

10th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Robert J. Kowalski
Vacancy of the Hon. Aurelia Pucinski

12th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Donald M. Devlin

13th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. James T. Ryan
Vacancy of the Hon. Karen T. Tobin

14th Subcircuit Vacancy of the Hon. Ralph Reyna

15th Subcircuit Additional Judgeship A

(This list does not carry today's date; it indicates that it is current only through August 21.)

Securing the Democratic nomination in a Cook County judicial primary election is (in most cases) tantamount to being elected in November; the Republicans have not even bothered to slate candidates for many countywide Circuit Court vacancies. And there are a couple of Cook County subcircuits where winning the Republican nomination is tantamount to election in November.

Either way -- although the job does not begin until December 1, 2008 -- the identities of the men and women who will take these jobs will be determined on February 5. The time for the public to begin paying attention to next year's judicial elections is now.