Chicago Sun-Times makes its judicial picks

(Graphic for the Sun-Times by Richard Laurent)

The Chicago Sun-Times weighs in this morning with its judicial endorsements. The paper's choices follow in a moment, but let me reiterate what I said on Thursday, when the Tribune endorsements were announced: While a free press must be free to write about what it chooses, it's a shame that our major Chicago newspapers choose not to cover Circuit Court primary races. Hundreds of thousands of people will vote for judges on February 5 -- many will know little or nothing about the men and women for whom they vote, but not because they do not want to know. If this blog has accomplished nothing else since last August, when I first started covering the upcoming judicial primary, it has shown that there is a great deal of information that can be found out about judicial candidates. Surely the Chicago newspapers could do a heck of a lot better job than a part-time lawyer-blogger.

I only wish they would.

And now, the Sun-Times editorial:

Cook County prosecutors. Public defenders. Private attorneys. These are the backgrounds of some vying to become judges in what can be costly contests. We think that judges should be elected on merit, and not on the size of their war chests or who their political backers are. There are many races, and we highlight here several of the most competitive contests followed by a list of all our judicial endorsements.

Judge of the Circuit Court (Nowicki vacancy): Two candidates stand out -- Brian Terrence Sexton and Michael B. Hyman. Judge Hyman is the former president of the Chicago Bar Association, worked as an assistant Illinois attorney general in the anti-trust division and then went into private practice for more than 25 years. Sexton is the supervisor in the state's attorney's gang crime unit and has been credited with improvements there. We endorse Sexton, who the Chicago Bar Association said "is highly regarded for his legal knowledge and ability."

4th Subcircuit (Shultz vacancy): Three candidates are worth noting, William Edward Gomolinski, Carmen Kathleen Aguilar and John M. Allegretti. Gomolinski was appointed a traffic court judge in 2007 and worked in private practice. Aguilar has been an assistant state's attorney her entire career and has extensive trial experience. Allegretti is the general counsel in the Cook County assessor's office and a former state's attorney. We endorse Gomolinski, who the Chicago Council of Lawyers praised "for his court management skills and for his temperament."

8th Subcircuit (Sheehan vacancy): The top three candidates are Ann Collins Dole, James A. Shapiro and Daniel Thomas Gillespie. Collins Dole, admitted to the bar in 1990, has been chief assistant corporation counsel in the torts division of the City of Chicago since 2002. Shapiro was appointed a judge in August 2007, worked in private practice and is a former assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting gun, drug, corruption and fraud cases. Gillespie was appointed an associate judge in 1988 and is well versed in civil and criminal law. We endorse Collins Dole, who the Chicago Council of Lawyers called a "model practitioner."

10th Subcircuit (Kowalski vacancy): The strongest candidates are Gerald Patrick Cleary, Ursula Walowski and James Edward Snyder. Cleary has practiced law since 1989 and has extensive civil jury experience. Walowski is an assistant state's attorney in the criminal division. Snyder was appointed a judge in 2007 and presides over bench and jury trials. We endorse Cleary, who the Chicago Bar Association said is "well regarded for his knowledge of the law, integrity and outstanding demeanor and temperament."

10th Subcircuit (Pucinski vacancy): The impressive candidates are Thomas Francis Biesty, Eileen O'Neill Burke and Kenneth L. Fletcher. Biesty is a supervisor in the criminal division of the state's attorney's office. O'Neill Burke is a former assistant state's attorney now in private practice. Fletcher was appointed a judge in January 2007 and spent most of his legal career with the Cook County Public Defender's office. We endorse Biesty, who the Chicago Bar Association said has "tried complex criminal cases and is well regarded for his fairness."

15th Subcircuit: The most impressive candidates are Anna Helen Demacopoulos and Thomas R. Mahoney, both of whom have spent their entire careers in the state's attorney's office. Demacopoulos is a supervisor in the narcotics bureau and has worked against police corruption. Mahoney is a deputy supervisor of the gang crime unit. Both are outstanding prosecutors, but we endorse Demacopoulos, who has a broader range of experience.

The Sun-Times also offered this list, stating its choices in each of the contested primaries. This is the list, in full:

Circuit Court

• (Disko vacancy): Dennis J. Burke

• (Glowacki vacancy): Terry MacCarthy

• (Healy vacancy): Maureen Ward Kirby

• (Keehan vacancy): Marilyn F. Johnson

• (Lott vacancy): Thomas J. Byrne

• (Montelione vacancy): Debra B. Walker

• (Murphy vacancy): Paula M. Lingo

• (Nowicki vacancy): Brian Terrence Sexton

• (Thomas vacancy): Joan Powell

Subcircuits

1st (Turkington vacancy):

• Donna L. Cooper

4th (Shultz vacancy) Democrats: • William Edward Gomolinski 4th (Shultz vacancy) Republicans:

• Mauro Glorioso

5th (Bush vacancy):

• Furmin D. Sessoms

5th (Additional Judgeship A):

• Stephen Stern

6th (Figueroa vacancy):

• Mauricio Araujo

7th (Young vacancy):

• Anita Rivkin-Carothers

8th (Sheehan vacancy):

• Ann Collins Dole

10th (Kowalski vacancy)

• Gerald Patrick Cleary

10th (Morrissey vacancy)

• John G. Mulroe

10th (Pucinski vacancy)

• Thomas Francis Biesty

12th (Devlin vacancy) Democrats:

• Thomas R. Mulroy

12th (Devlin vacancy) Republicans:

• Laura J. Morask

13th (Ryan vacancy) Democrats:

• Joe Gump

13th (Ryan vacancy) Republicans:

• James E. Babcock Jr.

13th (Tobin vacancy) Democrats: • Gary G. Stanton

13th (Tobin vacancy) Republicans:

• Margarita Kulys Hoffman

15th (Additional Judgeship A) Democrats:

• Anna Helen Demacopoulos

15th (Additional Judgeship A) Republicans:

• Peter Fera