Updated October 30, 2018
Updated November 14, 2018
While voters are still trying to figure out who's on the November ballot, wannabe candidates, their confidants, and their consultants are already looking ahead to 2020.
So what are they looking at?
What follows is not a comprehensive list of Cook County judicial vacancies but, rather, a list of vacancies that have either been filled by Supreme Court appointment or for which an application process has been announced or that I am pretty sure exist even though no announcement has been made. Some of the "vacancies" listed below aren't yet vacant -- but the current officeholder chose not to file for retention. There are likely to be other vacancies which the Supreme Court has neither filled nor announced. And, of course, new vacancies will occur in the ordinary course. I can and will update as necessity requires and opportunity permits.
But we all have to start somewhere.
As always, all errors of omission or commission in this list are mine alone and I am grateful for additions and corrections provided.
Appellate Court Vacancies
Vacancy of the Hon. P. Scott Neville, Jr. -- Michael B. Hyman1
Vacancy of the Hon. John B. Simon -- John C. Griffin
Vacancy of the Hon. P. Scott Neville, Jr. -- Michael B. Hyman1
Vacancy of the Hon. John B. Simon -- John C. Griffin
Countywide Vacancies
Vacancy of the Hon. Carole K. Bellows -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Raymond Funderburk -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Jessica A. O'Brien -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Sebastian T. Patti -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Carole K. Bellows -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Raymond Funderburk -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Jessica A. O'Brien -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Sebastian T. Patti -- Unfilled
Subcircuit Vacancies
1st Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Rodney Hughes Brooks -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Vanessa A. Hopkins2 -- Unfilled
2nd Subcircuit
"A" Vacancy3 -- Unfilled
6th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Marya Nega -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Kathleen M. Pantle -- Unfilled
8th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. John J. Fleming -- Jeanne Marie Wrenn4
Vacancy of the Hon. Deborah J. Gubin -- Unfilled
9th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Marvin F. Luckman -- Unfilled
13th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Margarita Kulys Hoffman -- Unfilled
14th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Robert Bertucci -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. William G. Lacy -- Unfilled
15th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. John C. Griffin -- Nichole C. Patton
1st Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Rodney Hughes Brooks -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Vanessa A. Hopkins2 -- Unfilled
2nd Subcircuit
"A" Vacancy3 -- Unfilled
6th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Marya Nega -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. Kathleen M. Pantle -- Unfilled
8th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. John J. Fleming -- Jeanne Marie Wrenn4
Vacancy of the Hon. Deborah J. Gubin -- Unfilled
9th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Marvin F. Luckman -- Unfilled
13th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Margarita Kulys Hoffman -- Unfilled
14th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. Robert Bertucci -- Unfilled
Vacancy of the Hon. William G. Lacy -- Unfilled
15th Subcircuit
Vacancy of the Hon. John C. Griffin -- Nichole C. Patton
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1 Justice Hyman is a Cook County Circuit Court judge sitting by appointment to the Appellate Court. The language of the Supreme Court's order appointing Justice Hyman to this vacancy suggests that, unless he runs for, and wins a seat on the Appellate Court in 2020, he will return to his original position as a Circuit Court judge. For this reason I have not included a "Hyman vacancy" among the countywide openings.
2 The late Rhonda Crawford won the Democratic Party's nomination for this vacancy in the 2016 primary but never took office.
3 Vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Alexander White.
4 Judge Wrenn was appointed to this vacancy, but she is unopposed on the November ballot for election to the 8th Subcircuit vacancy of the Hon. Sheryl Pethers. As of the first Monday in December, this vacancy will reopen.
You forgot the Hopkins/Crawford 1st Subcircuit vacancy. You also left out the countywide Kevin Sheehan vacancy.
ReplyDeleteLet the games begin.
ReplyDeleteAnon 10/15 at 10:37 p.m. -- I've updated to add the Hopkins vacancy -- I guess that's how it will be listed, right? I haven't been able to confirm the countywide vacancy you refer to.
ReplyDeleteMadigan already has someones ready to run in those 2 countywides, but have at it Theis. You tried your play in the 3rd Subcircuit last cycle. Now you're about to really be taught a lesson.
ReplyDeleteAlderman Brookins wants the appointment to the 2nd Subcircuit vacancy, but it's complicated now because of his re-election timeline. Petitions for Alderman are due 11/26 so in order for him to be able to groom a successor to take his place he would need to get appointed before then.
ReplyDeleteOne would think that a week would be enough time for an organization like his to get the 473 needed for alderman, but he couldn't get the 1,000 needed for Judge in 2 weeks when the late vacancy came up this past primary.
If he were appointed, I would expect County Commissioner Stanley Moore to become the favored candidate for Alderman - if he won there could be three Alderman Moores in the City Council - Joe Moore, David Moore &Stanley Moore.
Brookins can't beat a black woman from Thornton Township.
ReplyDeleteTheis is appointing a black woman from Thornton. Bet on it.
ReplyDeleteLeave Brookins alone. Most of his ward despises and that vicious squirrel attack has left him a "changed" man. What's more he is now at odds with two of his poker buddies (and soon to be former judges) for that coveted Second Subcircuit vacancy. And in the end, they will lose to a certain black woman from Thornton Township.
ReplyDeleteYou didn’t mention the haberkorn vacancy.
ReplyDeleteBrookins is like the rest of them; he has no organization. If he did, he would have been on the ballot. Most of these committeemen will be out on their ears come June. The Latinas are the new “Irish woman” and are being groomed by Louis Arroyo to challenge the entire countywide slate in 2020. Louis will deny it, but you will know he is lying because his lips will be moving.
ReplyDeleteBut watch out, La Raza! The lasses of the Emerald Isle and the Ujamma Sisterhood have plans of their own. One thing is certain: no boys allowed.
Four Latinas and 1 Black will be appointed by Theis. No guys will be appointed this cycle. Thanks Kavanaugh!
ReplyDeleteAnon 10/20 @ 1:38 p.m. -- I didn't mention a "Haberkorn vacancy" because Judge Haberkorn is on the retention ballot -- there is no vacancy as far as I can tell.
ReplyDeleteJack:
ReplyDeleteCome on, don't play naive. Haberkorn might be on the retention ballot, but then she will suddenly decide to retire after she wins retention and step down in early January giving the the Annie or Mary Jane the chance to fill the vacancy. What's that you say? P. Scott Neville? Well, rumor has it that P. Scott won't be allowed to fill any vacancies unless or until he is an elected member of the court. That seems very odd because I recall other Cook County Justices -- ahem, Burke and Theis -- making circuit court appointments when they, themselves, were sitting on the Supreme Court by Supreme Court appointment. Hmmmmmm. How certain double standards are tolerated in this county while others go ignored is a hallmark of this county. In any event, other soon to be gone judges are:
Denise Filan (3rd)
Peter Flynn (3rd)
Robert Balanoff (1st)
Diane Larsen (Countywide)
Arnette Hubbard (Countywide)
Vincent Gaughan (Countywide)
Diane Gordon Cannon (Countywide)
And NO! Matt Coghlan and Slattery-Boyle have nothing to fear. JAPAC has no game except for email, social media and a few yard signs at the early voting locations. Those judges and all of the rest will safely keep their seats in 2018. But Aurujo has serious troubles in 2020. Toni and all of those female committeemen won't be supporting a sexist pig who sitting in judge's jail for making sexually derogatory remarks to a woman attorney.
Bye bye Mauricio!
What about Retired Judge Margarita Kuyls-Hoffman (13th Subcircuit) who retired in December of 2017? Her term did not expire until December 2020.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon 10/29 @2:41 p.m.
ReplyDeleteMary Ellen Coghlan better be concerned about the law of unintended consequences and "name confusion" when she is on the retention ballot 2 years from now. And Injustice Watch is carefully watching all of you members of the 2020 class. Good luck! And hey! See you in 6 years Santiago.
ReplyDeleteThe 2020 Countywide vacancies will be:
ReplyDeleteBellows
Coghlan (Mary Ellen)
Coghlan (Matthew)
Flanagan (Kathy)
Funderburk
Haberkorn
Ingram
Larsen
O'Brien (Jessica Arong)
Patti
Sheahan (Kevin)
Sullivan (Sharon)
This information is being shared because for too long the ASAs, PD's and Daley Center plaintiff's lawyers have always had the inside track. Now everyone can know and be ready.
Marcia Maras
ReplyDeleteMatthew Coghlan
Mary Ellen Coghlan
Catherine Haberkorn
Carole Bellows
Diane Larsen
Arnette Hubbard
Raymond Funderburk
James Flannery (late breaking according to Alderman Burke)
Jessica Arong O'Brien
Sebastian Patti
Cheyrl Ingram
Kevin Sheahan
Sharon Sullivan
Kathy Flanagan
Vanessa Hopkins - 1
Robert Balanoff - 1
Rodney Hughes Brooks - 1
Additional Vacancy A - 2
Ken Wright - 2
Denise Filan - 3 (late breaking according to Speaker Madigan)
Peter Flynn - 3 (very late breaking according to Speaker Madigan)
Kenneth Wadas - 3
Marya Nega - 6
Jack Fleming - 8
Deborah Gubin - 8
Kulys-Hoffman
Bertucci
Lacy
Apparently JAPAC does have "game" contrary to the opinion of an earlier Anon post. But that poster was right about something else: Mauricio Aurujo is toast in 2020. Good riddance to that sexist pig. Here's a prediction: JIB will file charges by December 1, 2018. And his hearing and decision kicking him off the bench will be rendered by December 1, 2019 creating a late-breaking vacancy in 6 the same way that a late-breaking occurred last year in 2 (Valarie Turner). Crook County justice always seems to move faster when it can create a vacancy and get rid of an incompetent judge in the same move.
ReplyDeleteWell if everybody else is going to make predictions, then so am I . . .
ReplyDeleteHere are all of the people running for the Freeman vacancy in 2020:
P. Scott Neville (Black Male)
Nathanial Howse (Black Male)
Cynthia Cobbs (Black Female)
Sandra Ramos (Latina)
Mary Rochford (Irish Female)
Margaret McBride (Irish Female)
Eileen O'Neill Burke (Irish Female)
Jesse Reyes (Latino Male)
Ellen Flanagan (Irish Female)
You didn't see so many of them at Thornton and/or Evanston Townships or Local 130 because they like the Mostaccoli, quiche and/or soda bread, did you?
Of course, such a make up would clearly divide votes. But with 2020 anticipated to be a HISTORIC GOTV for Democrats, who cares? There will be enough low-information voters to mess up the apple cart for everyone.
And yes, Jesse, there are other Latinos out there who want it and you don't get to claim it as yours just because you have been warming the bench longer. Same goes for all of the rest of you too.
Good luck goobers!
Alfred E. Neuman, II
There will be a BUNCH of newly-minted "Democrats" running in the 13th next cycle. Yeehaw!
ReplyDeleteYou left out one who all but announced his intentions at a large judicial event last week
ReplyDeleteDon't tease: name the name.
ReplyDeleteKathleen Pantle has submitted her retirement papers; new vacancy in the 6th Subcircuit.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anon 11/13 @ 4:27 p.m.
ReplyDeleteAnd aside to the anon who left a comment about a new vacancy in 11. Maybe the judge you named is leaving; maybe not. But, if that person does leave, it will create a vacancy in 4, not 11.
A piece of friendly advice to all of you would be warriors: petitions matter. Troy LaRaviere just dropped out of the 2019 Mayoral race because he learned that getting petition signatures is tough. And it happens to judicial candidates too: Karkula, Copland, Sumner, Brookins and several others were all knocked off the ballot in the 2018 cycle because they didn't have enough signatures. And because this was an unusually high midterm election cycle, those countywide signatures will be tougher than usual. Plan accordingly.
ReplyDeleteAlfred E. Neuman, II
There is a group of lawyers of a certain persuasion who have begun to call themselves the "Harris County" slate. And these sisters mean business.
ReplyDeleteOk, Anon 11/14 at 5:53. There is another group of lawyers of "a certain persuasion" who call themselves the "County Cork" slate. And these "lasses" require no further elaboration. Bring it, "Harris County"!
ReplyDeleteBates appointed to Brooks vacancy in 1; Forti appointed to Gubin vacancy in 8. Women in both subcircuits are sharpening their pitchforks.
ReplyDelete