Newly-appointed judge already has campaign website up and running

Judge Robert Harris was just appointed to the Washington vacancy in the 5th Subcircuit earlier this month; he was sworn in on September 21. His campaign website is already up and running. Yes, that is a link to the site in the preceding sentence; a link has been added to the blog Sidebar.

Harris's campaign bio leads, naturally enough, with his 13-year tenure as Cook County’s Public Guardian, the first African-American to hold the position (he was appointed by Cook County Chief Circuit Judge Judge Timothy C. Evans).

Harris began his legal career began with the Public Guardian's office in 1991 as an entry-level attorney, rising through the ranks to become the Chief Deputy Public Guardian before his 2004 appointment as Public Guardian. According to the campaign bio, the Public Guardian's office is charged with "the legal representation of abused and neglected children, children in divorce and custody cases, and adults (mostly elderly) with cognitive disabilities." As the appointed Public Guardian Harris had supervisory responsibility for "over 100 lawyers who primarily litigate cases in the Juvenile, Probate, and Domestic Relations Divisions of the Circuit Court of Cook County."

The law was a second career for Harris. Before returning to DePaul University for law school, Harris "as a manufacturing, quality control, and sales engineer." His bachelor's degree is from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign College of Engineering.