ISBA narratives on retention judges now available

The Illinois State Bar Association has found all but three of the 59 Cook County Circuit Court judges seeking retention to be "qualified" for retention.

The ISBA's complete report on retention candidates can be found at this link.

The three judges singled out by the ISBA as not worthy of retention are Judges Lionel Jean-Baptiste, Andrea Schleifer, and James M. Varga.

Of Judge Jean-Baptiste, the ISBA states:

Judge Jean-Baptiste is assigned to Domestic Relations. Licensed to practice law in Illinois in 1991, he was in private practice before his election to the circuit court in 2012. He was previously assigned to First Municipal. He is a member of several bar associations and has received some community awards.

While he is generally considered to have a good temperament, attorneys raised concerns over the depth and breadth of his legal knowledge, his diligence and his courtroom management skills. They report, in general, that he needlessly continues matters ready for a hearing, does not wish to conduct trials, doesn’t always follow the law, and appears to mediate cases from the bench.

For the 2018 General Election, the Illinois State Bar Association finds the Hon. Lionel Jean-Baptiste not qualified for retention as a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

With regard to Judge Schleifer, the ISBA reports:

Judge Schleifer is currently assigned to Domestic Relations. Admitted to the Illinois bar in 1979, she was mainly a sole practitioner until her appointment to the circuit court in 2011. She was subsequently elected in 2012. She was previously assigned to Forcible Entry and Detainer, and Traffic. She is active with many bar associations.

While acknowledging that she has been very active in efforts to foster diversity and inclusions, and her long experience, attorneys were very divided in their assessment of her current legal knowledge and ability and temperament. Some felt that she was outstanding, while others reported that she either does not know the current law or does not apply it properly. These same attorneys also reported concerns with her temperament and that, at times, she appears to be close-minded. Some of these attorneys also reported that there were times when she appeared to be unsure of, or incorrect about, the status of cases before her.

For the 2018 General Election, the Illinois State Bar Association finds the Hon. Andrea M. Schleifer not qualified for retention as a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

As to Judge Varga, the ISBA states:

Judge Varga is assigned to the Law Division – Trial Section. Licensed to practice law in 1978, he was both an assistant state’s attorney and a private practitioner before his election to the circuit court in 1994. He has been retained three times, and was previously assigned to the Law Division. He has done some writing on legal issues.

Attorneys do speak highly of his legal knowledge, his punctuality and his fairness. Concerns about temperament, however, have been an ongoing issue, and while Judge Varga has taken some steps to ameliorate those concerns, attorneys report that those issues still exist, and that he does not, perhaps, recognize the ongoing extent of the issue.

For the 2018 General Election, The Illinois State Bar Association finds the Hon. James M. Varga not qualified for retention as a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County.