Licensed as an attorney in Illinois since 2003, Torres-Linares is the Managing Counsel of Justicia Attorneys/ Abogados, a firm which focuses, according to a campaign biography accessible through her Facebook page, on "Criminal, Family and Immigration Law, particularly in working-class and Latino communities." A former president of the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (2008-09), Torres-Linares ran for the Cook County Board in the 2010 Democratic Primary, unsuccessfully taking on Jerry "The Iceman" Butler, but winning a number of prestigious endorsements, including the endorsement of the Chicago Tribune in the process.
According to her campaign bio, Torres-Linares was "a founding board member of Legal Prep Charter Academies, a legal-themed charter high school on Chicago's west side, and currently serves on the Local School Council for Murray Language Academy, a CPS school on the south side." The campaign bio also notes that Torres-Linares "hosted the show 'Political Forum' for two years while serving as a board member for CAN TV" and that she provides pro bono work for Catholic Charities Legal Assistance, Cook County Elder Justice Center, the Resurrection Project, The Mexican Consulate and LUCHA.
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Wonderful. There is only one Latina Judicial Candidate on the Countywide Slate. This is not representative of the Cook County population. The Democratic Party touts diversity. This candidacy is diversity in action and a welcome addition to the countywide races. What vacancy is this candidate circulating for?
She is running against Rosanna Fernandez.
She is NOT running against Fernandez.
FYI, a woman in my office was circulating petitions for Ms. Torres for the Elrod and Hogan vacancies.
Also, in the last week and a half, I've been asked to sign petitions for two separate candidates for the Karnezis vacancy. Both candidates were female with Irish surnames. Each time, the circulator was wearing a purple SEIU buttons, which I thought was very odd for a judicial race.
I am genuinely confused and curious after reading the first comment. When Ms. Torres-Linares ran for Cook County Board, she ran against incumbent Commissioner Jerry Butler, an African-American. I know that the first comment is about the upcoming judicial race, but if you are a minority and you seek to unseat another minority, how does that promote diversity?
Secondly, the first comment states that one Latina on the countywide slate is not representative of the Cook County population. Should the countywide judicial slate reflect the demographic make-up of the county, or should it reflect the demographic make-up of attorneys in Cook County. How many Latino candidates sought countywide slating this cycle? By looking at the list, three (or four) Latinos sought slating, and two (Fernandez and Gonzalez) were slated. Said another way, 50-66% of Latinos who sought countywide slating got slated. That seems like a pretty good success rate. Conversely, the percentage of white candidates who sought slating who actually got slated is significantly lower. If 50-66% of the Latinos who participated in slating got slated, it is stretching it to complain about that success rate.
Ms. Torres-Linares did not seek countywide slating from what I have seen. It is difficult to criticize the alleged unfairness of the racial composition of the slate if Mr. Torres-Linares did not seek slating. It's like complaining about not getting a job that you didn't apply for.
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