Cook County Circuit Court vacancies -- filled and otherwise

Updated 9/22/11
Updated 10/1/11

Most Cook County judicial vacancies aren't really vacant.

When a judge leaves office, the Illinois Supreme Court will usually fill the vacancy by temporary appointment.

In order to remain on the bench, the persons appointed must usually seek election, either to the seats to which they were appointed, or to some other vacancy.

Sometimes the Cook County Democratic Party will back the judge appointed by the Supreme Court, but not always. Sometimes the party will slate the appointed judge for a different vacancy -- and sometimes the appointed judge will receive no party backing at all.

The Illinois State Board of Elections has now posted a comprehensive list of judicial vacancies, current as of August 17. What follows is a list of the Cook County Circuit Court vacancies identified by the ISBE; where vacancies have been filled, I've provided the name of the appointee. If I've missed anyone, the omission was not intentional and I will be pleased to update this list as necessary.

Countywide Vacancies
Vacancy of the Hon. Claudia Grace Conlon -- Stanley L. Hill
Vacancy of the Hon. Daniel E. Jordan -- Jean M. Prendergast
Vacancy of the Hon. Dorothy Kirie Kinnaird -- Erica L. Reddick
Vacancy of the Hon. John J. Moran -- Russell W. Hartigan
Vacancy of the Hon. Donald J. O'Brien, Jr. -- Peter J. Vilkelis
Vacancy of the Hon. Margaret O'Mara Frossard -- Diann K. Marsalek
Vacancy of the Hon. Aurelia Pucinski -- Thomas R. Allen
Vacancy of the Hon. Henry R. Simmons, Jr. -- Cynthia Y. Cobbs
Vacancy of the Hon. Victoria A. Stewart -- Caroline K. Moreland
Vacancy of the Hon. John A. Ward -- Alfred M. Swanson, Jr.


2nd Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Michael W. Stuttley


3rd Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Patrick E. McGann -- Maureen Leahy Delehanty
Vacancy of the Hon. Colleen McSweeney-Moore -- Thomas J. Carroll


4th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Daniel A. Riley -- Kevin Horan
Additional Judgeship A* -- Daniel L. Peters


6th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. David Delgado


7th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Cheryl A. Starks -- Tommy Brewer
Vacancy of the Hon. Lawrence W. Terrell -- Lorna Propes
Vacancy of the Hon. Amanda Toney -- Arthur P. Wheatley


8th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Thomas R. Chiola -- Celia G. Gamrath
Vacancy of the Hon. Melvin J. Cole -- James L. Kaplan
Vacancy of the Hon. Maureen Durkin Roy -- Deborah J. Gubin
Additional Judgeship "A" -- Laura C. Liu


9th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Gerald C. Bender -- Lionel Jean-Baptiste
Vacancy of the Hon. James R. Epstein -- Mary S. Trew


10th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Daniel M. Locallo -- Anthony C. Kyriakopoulos


11th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Edward P. O'Brien -- Michael R. Clancy
Vacancy of the Hon. Joseph J. Urso


12th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Mary K. Rochford -- Andrea M. Schleifer


13th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Edward N. Pietrucha
Additional Judgeship "A" -- Ketki Shroff Steffen


14th Judicial Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Lawrence O'Gara -- Regina Ann Scannicchio

--------------------------------------------
* This vacancy was created by the retirement of Judge Jennifer Duncan-Brice, but she was, if memory serves, elected as a city-wide judge prior to the establishment of the subcircuit system and her vacancy was assigned to this subcircuit.