Six challengers file to unseat Justice Neville

Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr. sits on the Illinois Supreme Court now, appointed by that court to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Charles E. Freeman. Neville's bid to remain on the Supreme Court has won the endorsement of the Cook County Democratic Party.

Neville's petitions were the first received this morning at the Illinois State Board of Elections office in Springfield.

Six other candidates also filed petitions this morning for the Freeman vacancy.

Next up to the counter was Daniel Epstein, a former associate with Jenner & Block. He has been licensed to practice law in Illinois for only four years, since 2015, according to ARDC.

According to his campaign bio, Epstein had a career in "policy, politics, and government" before becoming a lawyer, working in the British House of Commons in 2005 on anti-bullying legislation and crafting "campaign strategy to combat a rising white nationalist party." He also worked in Washington, D.C. as the director of government relations "for a global provider of early childhood education," advocating "for subsidies and tax credits so that families could send their kids to high quality child care regardless of wealth."

But the truth of the matter is, though a prior career may make any candidate a better-rounded, more interesting person, neither the Chicago Bar Association nor any member of the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening is likely to find Epstein remotely qualified for the Supreme Court. The bar groups demand 10 or even 12 years working as an attorney before a candidate would be considered for the Circuit Court. Every bar group says it has more stringent requirements for Appellate Court or Supreme Court hopefuls.

Epstein's campaign generated some early buzz when the candidate contributed $285,000 to his own campaign, thereby 'blowing' the contribution caps (the limitations on what individuals and businesses may give candidates) in this race. And Epstein has generated a following among self-proclaimed progressives. To cite just one example, Epstein's website boasts the endorsement of Jon Loevy of Loevy & Loevy.

Illinois Appellate Court Justice Shelly A. Harris was a special education teacher in the Chicago Public Schools, putting himself through law school at night, according to his campaign bio.

After more than 30 years as an attorney, working first for Legal Aid, then in divorce and domestic relations matters, and finally in personal injury and medical malpractice cases, Harris was appointed to the Circuit Court bench. In 2010, Harris was appointed to the Appellate Court (one quarter of the 24 justices of the First District Appellate Court are Circuit Court judges sitting pursuant to Supreme Court appointment). Harris ran for, and won, an elected seat on the appellate bench in the 2014 election.

Appellate Court Justice Margaret Stanton McBride also filed her nominating petitions this morning.

McBride has served on the Appellate Court since 1998. She began her judicial career in 1987, winning election to the Circuit Court in 1990. McBride has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1976. She spent most of her legal career, prior to her elevation to the bench, as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney.

Appellate Court Justice Cynthia Y. Cobbs has also filed for the Freeman vacancy.

Elected to the Circuit Court in 2014, Cobbs was assigned to the Appellate Court in January 2015.

Cobbs began her judicial career in 2011, when the Illinois Supreme Court appointed her to a countywide vacancy. She was thereafter appointed to a different vacancy in late 2012. It was to that latter vacancy that she was subsequently elected.

Cobbs started her legal career in 1989 as a law clerk, and later chief law clerk, to Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Freeman. She joined the AOIC in 1997, becoming Chief Legal Counsel for the Administrative Office within two years. Cobbs was initially appointed Director of the AOIC in March 2002. Cobbs served under five Chief Justices, the second longest tenure in that office since it was established in 1960.

Class action litigator Clint Krislov has no campaign website yet (none that I could find, anyway) but he does have a Facebook campaign page.

Licensed as an attorney in Illinois since 1974, Krislov practices with Krislov & Associates, Ltd., or Krislov Law, as the website calls the firm. The website describes the firm as "class Action lawyers asserting consumer, investor and taxpayer rights, whistleblower and public interest cases." I believe this is his first run for judicial office, though he applied for associate judge in 2017.

Appellate Court Justice Jesse G. Reyes was the seventh and last candidate in line for this vacancy when the doors to the ISBE opened this morning.

Justice Reyes was elected to the Appellate Court in 2012. He was appointed an associate judge in 1997, winning election as a circuit judge in 2008.

Before becoming a judge, Reyes worked in private practice, doing personal injury and worker's compensation cases. He then moved to the City of Chicago’s Corporation Counsel Office before joining the law department of the Chicago Board of Education.

Because each of these candidates was in line when the doors opened this morning at the ISBE, they are all eligible for a lottery to determine ballot order.