18 Associate Judge finalists named

The Circuit Court of Cook County has released the names of the 18 finalists for the nine current Associate Judge vacancies.












Three current Circuit Court judges, serving pursuant to appointment by the Illinois Supreme Court, Mary S. Trew, Stanley L. Hill, and Nicholas Geanopolous, are among the 18 finalists. All three lost bids to win election to full circuit judgeships in the March 20 primary.

Also making the "short list," according to Pat Milhizer's story this evening in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin (subscription required) are Assistant State's Attorneys Thomas F. Biesty, Joseph M. Cataldo and Catherine D. Sanders. Biesty ran for judge from the 10th Subcircuit in 2008.

Also on the list are Assistant Public Defenders Lester W. Finkle, Lana C. Johnson, Alfredo Maldonado and Vicki F. Rogers and Assistant Attorney General Richard D. Schwind.

Chicago Transit Authority general counsel Karen G. Seimetz is also a finalist, as are Allen P. Walker, a partner at Greene and Letts; Rossana P. Fernandez (left), a partner at Sanchez, Daniels & Hoffman LLP; and solo practitioners Steven Mark Wagner, Denise Y. Staniec, Lori G. Levin, Michael J. Kane. Levin and Schwind were also finalists for Associate Judge in 2009.

Not everyone else in the 239-person applicant pool was sent away disappointed. By my count, at least nine others in the pool are presumptive winners in November as a result of winning their races in last week's primary. That does not count Judge Andrea M. Schleifer or attorney Edward M. Maloney, both of whom won their respective primary races but face Republican opponents in the fall. Maloney's opponent, Christine Cook, was also in the applicant pool. Two of these three will also be Circuit Court judges come December 3.

On the other hand, while three current judges did make the "short list," at least nine currently sitting judges in the applicant pool were passed over, as were at least three others who have previously served on the bench, but who are not working as judges presently.

One other aspirant who failed to make the "short list" is named at the bottom of this post.