Objections filed to nominating papers of every candidate for the 2nd Subcircuit

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Many other judicial candidates also face Objections

There are six candidates for the Stuttley vacancy in Cook County's 2nd Judicial Subcircuit. Objections were filed to each candidate's nominating papers yesterday.

There are only two candidates vying for the Jones vacancy in Cook County's 7th Subcircuit, Aicha Marie MacCarthy and Melanie Rose Nuby. Objections were filed to both of their nominating papers yesterday as well.

Similarly, in the race for the 7th Subcircuit Terrell vacancy, objections were filed against the nominating papers of both declared candidates, Pamela Reaves-Harris and William G. Gamboney.

Objections were filed to candidates' petitions in many, if not most, of the Cook County judicial races, but these races are noteworthy in that each and every candidate's right to appear on the ballot has been challenged.

The filing of Objections to a candidate's nominating papers does not necessarily mean that the objections are well-founded or that the name of the candidate against whom objections have been filed will be stricken from the ballot. However, the candidate against whom a challenge has been filed must quickly "lawyer up" to defend against the attempt. (Hopefully, most judicial candidates retained competent election counsel as one their first campaign steps -- but, in every election cycle, there seems to be a candidate or two who thinks that, armed with their own law license, they can fend off any ballot challenge that may be presented. Most of these will find that this was a mistake, and perhaps a mistake fatal to their hopes of election.)

The Objections to candidates' petitions will soon be made public on Cook County Clerk David Orr's website; at this point (at the risk of repeating myself to stress the point) the sufficiency of the challenges can not be weighed.

But, having said that, it is noteworthy that two of the candidates slated by the Democratic Party for a countywide vacancy, Michael Forti (a candidate for the Simmons vacancy) and Judge Pamela M. Leeming (a candidate for the Stewart vacancy), are facing challenges. Slated candidates generally don't have to worry about these things.

Among the many Objections filed to judicial candidates' petitions, the following (though not a comprehensive list) may be of particular interest.

The 6th Subcircuit race has eight candidates remaining after Carlos A. Vazquez withdrew from this race (and also from his bid for the countywide Stralka vacancy). Six of the remaining eight candidates (including Mark V. Ferrante and Beatriz Santiago, the candidate slated by the Democratic Party in this race) have drawn challenges; only Gregory Emmett Ahern, Jr. and Carlos Claudio did not.

A number of sitting judges will face ballot challenges in addition to Judge Leeming. In the 7th Subcircuit, Judge Tommy Brewer (Starks vacancy) and Judge Arthur P. Wheatley (Toney vacancy), face ballot access contests, as do Judge Ian Bender (9th Subcircuit - Bender vacancy) and Judge Nicholas Geanopoulos (8th Subcircuit - Durkin Roy vacancy).

However, aside from the challenge to Judge Geanopoulos' papers, there was only one other challenge to a candidate's nominating papers in any of the fourth 8th Subcircuit races. (Marianne G. Dwyer faces a challenge in her bid to appear on the ballot for the Cole vacancy.)

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Updated and corrected 12/14/11