John Flynn Rooney reports in the August 21, 2008 the Chicago
Daily Law Bulletin that the Circuit Court has declared a winner in the close 5th Subcircuit A race.
Following a recount trial that lasted a week and a half, Associate Judge Alfred Paul ruled Thursday that Dominique C. Ross beat Stephen Stern by 158 votes, 27,682 votes to Stern's 27,524.
Stern, a former President of the Cook County Bar Association, was rated Qualified or Recommended by every bar rating group for the February 2008 Primary. He was rated "Highly Recommended" by the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, and the Puerto Rican Bar Association. He was endorsed by the Chicago
Tribune, the Chicago
Sun-Times, the Chicago Federation of Labor, and the Chicago Fire Fighters Union, Local 2.
Ross, a Chicago solo practitioner and a lawyer since 1995, did not submit her credentials for review by the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening. Ross was found "Not Recommended" by the Chicago Bar Association "at this stage of her career," but the CBA praised her for her "fine demeanor."
Rooney's
Law Bulletin article quotes James P. Nally, Stern's attorney, as saying, "We certainly intend to appeal. We've conducted the case to make a good record [on appeal]."
Pending the outcome of any appeal, however, Ross will become a judge in December: No Republican filed for the 5th Subcircuit A vacancy.
