Northwest Suburban Bar Association releases its evaluations

The Northwest Suburban Bar Association has released its evaluations of judicial candidates in the upcoming primary. These are not yet posted on the NWSBA's website -- at least not that I could find -- but I received a copy this evening from Joyce Williams at the ISBA.

I took the liberty of copying the NWSBA ratings into the table that the ISBA sent when it released its ratings. You'll note, though, that this one is shorter: The NWSBA bypassed a number of races which is not surprising since its membership is concentrated in the Northwest suburbs. I don't know whether the NWSBA bypassed the countywide Healy vacancy intentionally or whether it was just accidentally left off the press release; I'm certain that someone will advise. It may be surprising, perhaps, that the NWSBA made evaluations in the far South Suburban 15th Subcircuit:

According to the NWSBA website, candidates were interviewed between January 3 to January 23, 2008 in sessions running from 6:00 p.m. until after 10:00 p.m. Up to eight candidates were interviewed per night, each scheduled for 20 minutes sessions. The NWSBA says it evaluated candidates "on the basis of past trial performance, legal ability, integrity, knowledge of the law, judicial temperament, impartiality and decisiveness." The NWSBA stressed that "no consideration was given either for the political affiliation of a candidate or the fact that a candidate may or may not be opposed by another candidate in the election."

Candidates that failed to submit to submit the documents requested or that failed to appear before the Association's Screening Committee were not evaluated by the NWSBA and "cannot be recommended by the Committee for election." Here, then, are the NWSBA ratings:

Key: HR = Highly Recommended R = Recommended NR = Not Recommended; NE = Not Evaluated Appellate Court – 1st District Vacancy of the Hon. Anne M. Burke William D. O’Neal NE Alan J. Greiman HR Sharon Johnson Coleman NE Appellate Court – 1st District Vacancy of the Hon. Calvin C. Campbell John O. Steele HR Frank Edward Gardner NE Richard F. Walsh HR Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon. Barbara J. Disko Lauretta Higgins Wolfson R Dennis J. Burke HR Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon. Francis W. Glowacki Terry MacCarthy HR Jesse G. Reyes R Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon. Michael T. Healy Maureen Ward Kirby Peter John Curielli Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon. Michael R. Keehan Marilyn F. Johnson HR Joseph Robert Papavero NE Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon. Gay-Lloyd Lott Joanne Marie “Jody” Rogers R Thomas J. Byrne HR Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon Anthony S. Montelione Thomas A. Doran R Thaddeus L. Wilson R Debra B. Walker R Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon. Michael J. Murphy Paula M. Lingo R Kristyna Colleen Ryan NE Frank James Ryan R Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon. Julia M. Nowicki John J. “Jack” Murphy R Michael B. Hyman HR Kim R. Kardas HR Brian Terrence Sexton HR Cook County Circuit Vacancy of the Hon. Mary Maxwell Thomas Joan Powell R David John Mulvihill NE E. Madeline O’Neill R Patrick Dennis Riley NE 4th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Lon W. Shultz John M. Allegretti NE William Edward Gomolinski NE Maureen H. Masterson-Pulia R Pat Rogers HR Mauro Glorioso NE Carmen Kathleen Aguilar NE Deirdre Ann McGuire R 6th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Raymond A. Figueroa Nancy Hallihan Horodecki NE Mauricio Araujo R Laura Bertucci Smith NE Mary Katherine M. Moore NE Stuart M. Brody HR 7th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Anthony L. Young David H. Latham R Anita Rivkin-Carothers HR Kevin Kenneth Pechous NE Melanie Rose Nuby NR T. Lee Boyd, Jr. NE 8th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Nancy Drew Sheehan Gideon Abraham Baum NE Daniel Thomas Gillespie HR James Byrne NE Debra Kramer Marcus NE Ann Collins Dole HR James A. Shapiro HR Aaron J. Weiss NE 10th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Robert J. Kowalski Ursula Walowski HR Gerald Patrick Cleary R James Edward Snyder NE Stephen F. Sidlowski R 10th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Dennis J. Morrissey Diana L. Kenworthy HR John G. Mulroe R Rosaire Marie Hall R 10th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Aurelia Pucinski Joan Ellen Smuda NE Eileen O’Neill Burke HR Thomas Francis Biesty R Kenneth L. Fletcher R 12th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Donald M. Devlin Thomas Flannigan HR Michael John Halloran R Pamela Elizabeth Loza R Laura J. Morask R Thomas R. Mulroy HR Michaela Nolan Ryan NE 13th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. James T. Ryan Annie O’Donnell HR James E. Babcock, Jr. R Joe Gump R Ann Catherine Brady R Paul S. Pavlus R Guy M. Karm R 13th Subcircuit - Vacancy of the Hon. Karen T. Tobin Margarita Kulys Hoffman R George L. Straton HR Cary J. Collins HR Carol L. Barnes NE Gary G. Stanton HR 15th Subcircuit Additional Judgeship “A” Michael Emmett McGinnis NE Donald Theodore Lyman NE Thomas “TJ” Somer NE Martin D. Coghlan NE Mary Louise Ryan Norwell NE William Joseph McGann R Peter Fera NE Anna Helen Demacopoulos NE Carl Evans, Jr. R Thomas R. Mahoney NE Scott E. Lipinski NE