Monday, August 19, 2019

Cook County Democrats slate eight of 10 appointed judges for Circuit Court vacancies

There are currently 13 countywide vacancies on the Cook County Circuit Court.

The Illinois Supreme Court has filled 10 of these vacancies with interim appointees (meaning that the appointees serve until the first Monday in December 2020, when these vacancies will be filled with persons elected to these posts).

Last week at its slating meeting, the Cook County Democratic Party agreed to endorse eight of the 10 sitting countywide appointees for the vacancies they currently fill.

To be specific, the Party endorsed Judges Kerrie Maloney Laytin, James T. Derico, Jr., Celestia L. Mays, Sheree D. Henry, Levander Smith, Jr., Teresa Molina, Lloyd James Brooks, and Lynn Weaver Boyle.

But Laura Ayala-Gonzalez, pictured at left, the Deputy Supervisor of the Felony Review Unit at Cook County State's Attorney's Office, was slated for the Ford vacancy. Judge Thomas M. Cushing now holds that vacancy by appointment, but he did not appear before the Democratic Party's slatemakers.

And Jill Rose Quinn was slated for the Kevin M. Sheehan vacancy over Judge Marina E. Ammendola, who did ask for the Party's endorsement. FWIW readers may remember that Quinn sought a 10th Subcircuit vacancy in 2018. As near as I can tell, Quinn is the first transgender candidate ever endorsed by the Cook County Democratic Party for countywide office.

Loop attorney Christ Stacey was slated for Mason vacancy; Araceli De La Cruz, pictured at right, the General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer of Acero Schools, was slated for the Roti vacancy; and Maura McMahon Zeller was slated for the Colleen F. Sheehan vacancy. That's a link to Zeller's campaign website in the preceding sentence; it has been added to the website list in the blog Sidebar.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see some of the most highly qualified, again, didn't get slated. But then, again, this is not so much about getting the best candidates elected as it is to extract $ from candidates.

Anonymous said...

It’s not about extracting money from candidates as much as it is about fulfilling the progressive liberal identity politics agenda the Cook County Democratic Party is currently obsessed with.

Anonymous said...

Well, if it's like past slates, some of these guys (emphasis guys) best be sleeping with one eye open as their "mates" stab them in the back. Anyone else notice all of those FB pages with Irish gals announcing their runs for Cook County Judge. I count at least 10 of them. I wonder which of the slated they WON'T be running against.

Anonymous said...

BINGO!

Anonymous said...

I'm very progressive but I agree identify is more important than qualifications to the Party. I know the performance record of one of these slated candidates. She had to get slated for the boxes she "checks" not her qualifications. I will be inclined to vote for the best qualified candidates NOT slated.

Anonymous said...

Hello all,

He is a little slate-making information:

Tom Cushing did not appear before the party leaders for the county-wide spot because he is running in his sub-circuit.

As always, E.P.



Anonymous said...

no surprise Ammendola was not slated. She was Ed Burke's adoption lawyer.

Anonymous said...

I am so glad to finally have confirmation that EP is really GC.

Anonymous said...

WILL THE PUBLIC DEFENDER TO THE BENCH PIPELINE BE ALIVE AND WELL THIS YEAR?

Anonymous said...

Smith is slated by the Cook County Dem Party and yet he has not lived here long and has made no serious contributions to the Cook County area. He may be a fine person but it's insulting to other qualified African American and LGBTQ Chicagoans that he got slated over them.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful, a judiciary chock full of PD’s and State’s Attorneys who have never done civil. Cook County has the judiciary it deserves.

Anonymous said...

Kim Foxx will be running with an all PD slate this cycle because the state’s attorneys all hate her. Kim and the PD’s will win. Amy Campanelli will he appointed to a late breaking vacancy in her subcircuit.

Anonymous said...

There are a whole bunch of PD’s running. See you in March!

Anonymous said...

Seriously. Enough with the PD and ASA Judicial candidates. You can do better. Then again, this is the only way a government attorney can get a raise. They don’t know how to survive on their own without a government handout.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 8/25/19 9:03pm

ASAS & PDS are some of the most experienced and talented attorneys this county has to offer. I assume you're one of those bitter paper pushing attorneys who has never stepped foot in a courtroom and because of that you can't get the bar ratings. You should have been a government attorney. BTW, thanks for the raise.

Anonymous said...

They sure are: bragging about trying the same case 200 times. Yawn.

Jack Leyhane said...

The ASA/PD vs. 'bitter paper-pushers' debate has been around for a long time. As a bit of a bitter paper-pusher myself, I used to marvel at the trial stats racked up like points in a video game by government attorneys in the criminal courts.

But it's just a different practice, OK?

And I have found that, generally, everything that the other person is doing seems really easy -- until one has to try to do it oneself.

Cook County is large enough that we can have, and should strive for, diversity of practice experience on the bench. We benefit from experienced civil law practitioners in our civil courts and experienced criminal law practitioners in our criminal courts.

Anonymous said...

Jack, absolutely agree. Wouldn’t it be great if the court were actually balanced to serve civil and criminal courts properly? Why don’t they put the right backgrounds in the right courtrooms?!?!!!

Anonymous said...

Note: Chris Stacey and Lynn Weaver Boyle have been civil litigators in private practice, Stacey for over 30 years. So, those two are neither a PD or SA, not that there is anything wrong with those, but at least they may balance it out a bit.