Lottery Results -- Countywide judicial races

The lottery results are in. Subject to possible future withdrawals, whether because of objections or otherwise, the ballot order is set in seven of the eight countywide races for seats on the Cook County Circuit Court. (The filing period for the eighth vacancy, that of Judge Carol Pearce McCarthy, begins tomorrow morning.)

Links are to campaign websites, where known.

Berland Vacancy

• William H. Hooks
• Deidre Baumann
• William Burnett Raines

Bronstein Vacancy

• Terry MacCarthy
• James Edward Hanlon (objection pending)
  
• Diann K. Marsalek
• Sharon Finegan Patterson (objection pending)
• Thomas William Flannigan

Dolan Vacancy

• Susan Kennedy Sullivan (objection pending)
• Linda J. Pauel
• Kevin J. Murphy
• Ubi O'Neal (objection pending)

Hayes Vacancy

• Raymond W. Mitchell
• Bonnie Carol McGrath (objection pending)
• Carl B. Boyd (objection pending)

Kelley Vacancy

• John Patrick Callahan, Jr.
• Joanne F. Fehn

O'Malley Vacancy

• Thomas V. Lyons
• Melanie Rose Nuby (objection pending)

Riley Vacancy

• Sandra G. Ramos
• Russell William Hartigan
• James Michael Bailey
• John Patrick Nyhan
• Edmund Paul Michalowski
• Marvin W. Gray
• Tracey J. Stokes (objection pending)

Interestingly, in four of the six races in which a lottery was necessary, the candidate slated by the Cook County Democratic Party won the coveted top ballot position. (Judge Thomas V. Lyons was the only candidate to file for the O'Malley vacancy when the doors opened at the State Board of Elections on October 26 and so did not have to worry about a lottery.) Also, in case you missed it browsing through, Kevin J. Murphy, who filed for each of the countywide openings and all three 15th Subcircuit vacancies besides, chose to make his stand in the Dolan vacancy.

A note about objections: Earlier, I did a post about objections. A candidate had posted a complaint elsewhere about petition sheets that were merely photocopied and numbered in a transparent effort to plump up the stack. Some objections are based on violations this blatant -- but not all. At the other extreme, some candidates may use objections to force an opponent to squander limited campaign resources defending a challenge. This is a particularly useful tactic in a race with only one or two opponents. The point is this: The hearing process on the objections is just beginning. Don't make unfair assumptions about any particular candidate, either because he or she has pursued objections, or because objections have been made against him or her. Let the process unfold.