...and one of these is the vacancy of Judge Marilyn F. Johnson -- the one that won't officially occur until December 11.
Yes, your friendly neighborhood blogger has bungled again -- and, once again, I was rescued by a reader.
Judicial resignations, my source told me, can't be pulled back once they're handed in. Therefore, while Judge Johnson (for example) has chosen December 11 as her retirement date, she has turned in her resignation already -- during the special judicial filing period -- and so it can (and will) be filled in the 2016 election.
Sure enough, while my source was still trying to walk me through all this, I clicked over to the Illinois State Board of Elections judicial vacancies list and, lo and behold, there it was -- listed, as of yesterday's date, the full circuit vacancy of Judge Marilyn F. Johnson.
So... Sean Chaudhuri, the Democratic Party's second alternate selection, will have an opportunity to seek the Johnson vacancy in the March primary. That's the vacancy to which Fredrick Bates was just appointed -- I got that right -- I can still read, sort of. Bates will be running for the Walsh vacancy.
And now for the buried lede: The ISBE also lists two other new vacancies. Judges Edmund Ponce de Leon and Lisa Ruble Murphy have both announced their resignations as well, creating new, special-filing-period vacancies in the 6th and 14th Subcircuits.
Many sites of interest are closed in Springfield due to the ongoing state budget crisis. Here are ten things that candidates can do to stay entertained prior to filing their nominating petitions.
ReplyDelete1. Illinois Dairy Association: Hall of Butter – Life-sized figures of famous Illinoisans are meticulously sculpted in one of Illinois’ most beloved food items, BUTTER. Bring a jacket or sweater because the temperature is set at a chilly 35 degrees. Past visitor comments say it all, this is one exhibit you cannot miss. “Shelia Simon was so lifelike, she never looked butter,” Ed Jacobs, Mounds, Illinois. “Thank you Hall of Butter! Seeing Lura Lynn reminded me that my CDL was about to expire,” Floyd Martin, Decatur, IL. “I was instantly brought back to October, 1962 at the site of Adlai Stevenson behind his desk at the U.N. – Haunting”,” Barbara Gettings, Galesburg, IL.
2. See this exhibit now, because it won’t be around long! State Representative Ken Dunkin’s parking spot at the State Capitol.
3. Rebecca Huitt Carlin Childhood Home. Recreate the splendor of Illinois in the 1800’s by visiting the childhood home of the state’s 7th first lady, Rebecca Huitt Carlin. Visitors are treated to that exact dinner served at Thomas Carlin’s inaugural ball – boiled mutton, hoove jelly, pickled pokeweeds and Sangamon River watercress (Seasonal). Re-live Governor Carlin’s inaugural address where he famously quipped, “We got too much danged corn!”
4. Illinois Center for Morality and Ethics. No visit to the ICME is complete without visiting the center’s theater and watching “Illinois, Our Proud Past.” This four minute film explains in exquisite detail each occasion when an Illinois politician did not act in his self-interest. A temporary exhibit called, “Slating: How It Once Was” depicts a happier time in our state’s history when committeemen voted by weighted vote and spoke up on behalf of prospective candidates from whom they accepted large contributions.
5. Mister Lincoln’s RV Center and Campground. Sangamon Magazine rates this one of the Top 10 places in Springfield to park your trailer. Adjacent to the nearby Stucky’s Truck Stop, most visitors do not leave without buying pecan rolls shaped as Mary Todd Lincoln to bring home to friends or family.
6. Many a bachelor party and legislative victory have been celebrated at “Cahokia Mounds,” Springfield’s only 24-hour gentleman’s club.
7. Otto Kerner School of Accounting. Grab a sweatshirt of bumper sticker for the accountant in your life from Illinois’ only unaccredited accountancy program.
8. “Golden Ticket” – This comedic play uses exact transcripts from the Blagojevich wiretaps, and you won’t believe your ears. The Springfield Journal says “Golden Ticket is a tour du force! The actors playing Stuart Levine and Tony Rezko were superb. Audiences can’t help but shout along with Patti to hold up that Cubs deal!” (Some language not appropriate for persons under 18).
9. Pension Mountain – Billed as the largest in the nation, this ride grows by leaps and bounds each day. This ride culminates with a screeching halt at a replica of the Illinois Supreme Court, and just as riders feel they are safe, the ride drops forty stories below water. “You have to ride this to see how bad it actually is,” says Diana Rauner.
10. Agro-tourism just got a whole lot more fun with the recent opening of Lou Lang’s Organic Farms and Dispensary. Bring an appetite, because you are going to be real hungry after this visit. “I laughed, I cried and I laughed some more!” – 18 year-old unemployed kid from Calumet City. (Doctor’s prescription required).
E. P. Here,
ReplyDeleteHey, anonymous @ 11:55 AM, you had me in stiches. I love political satire. Hell, I live for it. It's way I love this blog. It's publisher let's us have the occassional fun-fest.
So this brings me to a sneak-preview so to speak. A movie trailer of sorts. Hollywood kind of stuff. The post highlights a big county-wide vacancy that moved an alternate up into the batter's box. But way down at the bottom of the posting, the blogger refers to a little sub-circuit vacancy that's going to bring all kinds of fun and games into the city. Trust me when I tell you that this is going to be like reality television. Complete with Hollywood celebrities, movie stars, outsiders, big PAC money and the stuff of realy good "tele-novelas."
It's going to feature a stellar-rated, dedicated, humble female public defender against a Puerto Rican gigalo. Yep, a male candidate that has never stepped one foot in a courtroom, therefore will get piss-poor bar ratings, is a coat-holder for a soon-to-be indicted female public offical, and has made lots of enemies within the Puerto Rican legal community. And that's because he ran for judge once before even though he was advised to get out in favor of the consensus candidate but refused to do so. He was, of course, soundly defeated. But now he's come into some Hollywood money.
Yes, as if we needed Hollywood money in Chicago judicial races. I promise this is going to bring a Trump-like circus atmosphere into the 6th sub-circuit. I guess the clown-car stil had room in it after all. And I thought it was for Repulicans only. Boy, was I wrong.
But like I said earlier, this is just a sneak preview. So stay tuned. I'll be monitoring the filings on the Board of Election's website and I promise hilarious entertainment if this guy actually files.
Until then, as always, E. P.