Herewith the "short list."
In a press release accompanying the announcement of the finalists, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans said that the Nominating Committee of the Circuit Court of Cook County employed a comprehensive approach in the selection process that considered multiple aspects such as legal excellence, a variety of legal experience in the public and private sectors, and diversity of race, ethnicity, and gender.
- Maryam Ahmad
- Julie Bess Aimen
- Sophia Jane Atcherson
- Jeffrey S. Blumenthal
- George Louis Canellis Jr.
- Vincenzo Chimera
- Joel Louis Chupack
- Jean Margaret Cocozza
- Thomas Maloney Cushing
- Geraldine Ann D’Souza
- Tiffany Mary Ferguson
- Mark Vincent Ferrante
- Mohammed Mujahid Ghouse
- Sanju Oommen Green
- Patrick Joseph Heneghan
- Robert Wade Johnson
- Marc William Martin
- Mary Catherine Marubio
- Lisette Catherine Mojica
- David Ricardo Navarro
- Marian Emily Perkins
- Gregory Gerard Plesha
- Edward Nicholas Robles
- Anthony E. Simpkins
- Marita Clare Sullivan
- Jeanne Marie Wrenn
A total of 283 attorneys submitted applications for these positions, although 30 withdrew from the process. The Nominating Committee interviewed 255 candidates (two candidates withdrew after they were interviewed). The Nominating Committee consisted of:
Every finalist was rated qualified, recommended or better by both the Chicago Bar Association and each of the 11 bar associations that together comprise the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening with two exceptions. The Puerto Rican Bar Association did not have the opportunity to interview Joel Louis Chupack and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois did not have an opportunity to interview Jean Marie Cocozza.
- Honorable Timothy C. Evans, Chief Judge
- Honorable Mary Ellen Coghlan, Presiding Judge, Probate Division
- Honorable Sophia H. Hall, Administrative Presiding Judge, Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Resource Section
- Honorable Moshe Jacobius, Presiding Judge, Chancery Division
- Honorable Raymond L. Jagielski, Presiding Judge, Fifth Municipal District
- Honorable Marjorie C. Laws, Presiding Judge, Sixth Municipal District
- Honorable William O. Maki, Presiding Judge, Third Municipal District
- Honorable Shelley Sutker-Dermer, Presiding Judge, Second Municipal District
- Honorable E. Kenneth Wright, Jr., Presiding Judge, First Municipal District
No finalist received a "Highly Qualified" rating from the CBA, but seven finalists were rated "Well Qualified" by the Chicago Council of Lawyers, Julie Bess Amien, Vincenzo Chimera, Thomas Maloney Cushing, Tiffany Mary Ferguson, Mark Vincent Ferrante, Sanju Oommen Green, and Patrick Joseph Heneghan. Three finalists were rated "Highly Qualified" by the Illinois State Bar Association, Bess, Heneghan, and Mary Catherine Marubio.
Marian Emily Perkins was the only finalist rated "Highly Recommended" by the Cook County Bar Association. Nine finalists were deemed "Highly Recommended" by the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, Cushing, Ferrante, Green, Heneghan, Marubio, Lisette C. Mojica, David Ricardo Navarro, Gregory Gerard Plesha, and Marita Clare Sullivan.
The HLAI found Maryam Ahmad, Ferrante, and Heneghan "Highly Qualified." The PRBA found Ahmad, Chimera, Ferrante, Heneghan, Navarro, and Robert Wade Johnson to be "Highly Recommended." Five finalists were found "Highly Recommended by the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, Marc William Martin, Green, Marubio, Mojica, and Navarro.
Several Alliance members do not award any rating higher than "Qualified" or "Recommended."
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5 comments:
2016 year of the women!!! Time for a woman Chief Judge!!! Evans last associate list.
So the CBA found Marc Martin Highly Qualified to be a Circuit Judge, but only Qualified to be an Associate judge. Plus they were the only bar assn to find his opponent not qualified. I am so glad I quit the CBA. They are worthless. I spend that money on alcohol and women instead
Anon. 5:24p.m. -- That's an interesting catch -- and it seems unlikely, doesn't it? Martin's appointment to the Circuit Court was effective May 1, 2014; the current AJ class's applications process closed in February 2015. It is unlikely that Judge Martin has two different CBA evaluations floating around.
The other alternative I can think of would be that there was a transcription error. I live in terror of these. For the primary and retention elections I cheat: I take the grids that Joyce Williams prepares for the Alliance and make images of them and publish those. But, on my round-up posts, I have to pull in information from several different sources and plug them into a template. I do the best I can, but I have made mistakes. (You'd be amazed how good candidates are at proofreading -- my mistakes are typically pointed out almost as soon as they are published.)
In this case, someone took an Alliance-type grid and added in a column for CBA ratings. I didn't publish the table that the Chief Judge's Office released -- but I went back to it this morning to see if maybe I'd missed something. But I haven't. I still suspect a transcription error, however, and am only relieved that it does not appear to be mine.
I will follow up and post any corrections I may receive.
Thanks.
No big scandal here....The CBA does two separate evaluations for the associate judge and circuit court judge positions. The best anyone can get on the associate review is "qualified" as they do not give out "highly qualified" for the associate reviews. The only time "highly qualified" is a possibility is if they are reviewing an applicant who is running in an election for circuit court judge.
Another peculiarity of bar assn evaluations - once appointed (as Marc Martin was), subsequent evaluations for many bars evaluate only performance as a judge. Appointed judges in their 1st year are in Traffic Court or Mortgage Foreclosures. No way to re-earn that high esteem they had as practitioners by presiding over Traffic Court calls.
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