The paper continues its endorsements today, announcing its choices for the two Appellate Court and the 12 of the 13 countywide vacancies. (There is no contest for the Patti vacancy.)
In its editorial today, the Tribune also stays close to the Democratic Party's slate, departing from it on only three occasions. Slating is not mentioned in the editorial, however. Instead, today's editorial states that the Tribune makes its endorsements in reliance on "candidates’ ratings from the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, the Illinois State Bar Association and the editorial board’s own questionnaires and research."
Essentially, the Tribune seems to have disqualified anyone who did not "meet the standards of at least one bar group." In the race for the Roti vacancy, for example, the Tribune rejected the Democratic Party's slated candidate because she "was found not qualified by the Illinois State Bar Association." Former Judge Russell W. Hartigan was endorsed for the C. Sheehan vacancy because both of his opponents "received a 'not recommended' rating from at least one bar group."
In the only other race in which the Tribune departed from the Democratic Party's judicial slate, in the race for the Ford vacancy, former Judge John O'Meara's "Highly Qualified" rating from the Chicago Bar Association was apparently dispositive: "He is endorsed over Laura Ayala-Gonzalez, a supervisor in the state’s attorney’s felony trial division who also received high marks from bar groups" -- but only a "Qualified" from the CBA, not a "Highly Qualified."
Herewith, then, the Tribune's judicial selections to date:
Supreme Court
P. Scott Neville, Jr. -- Freeman vacancy
Appellate Court
Michael B. Hyman -- Neville, Jr. vacancy
John Griffin -- Simon vacancy
Circuit Court Countywide
Kerrie Maloney Laytin -- Bellows vacancy
James T. Derico, Jr. -- Coghlan vacancy
John O'Meara -- Ford vacancy
Celestia L. Mays -- Funderburk vacancy
Levander "Van" Smith, Jr. -- Larsen vacancy
Chris Stacey -- Mason vacancy
Teresa Molina -- McCarthy vacancy
Sheree Desiree Henry -- Murphy Gorman vacancy
Lloyd James Brooks -- O'Brien vacancy
Lorraine Mary Murphy -- Roti vacancy
Russell W. Hartigan -- C. Sheehan vacancy
Jill Rose Quinn -- K. Sheehan vacancy
Posts
6 comments:
The Tribune always endorsed the black guys running countywide and then they lose to the Irish gal. Stan Hill in 2012. Devlin Shoop in 2016. Oran Whiting in 2018. This cycle will be no different. Nick Sposato and Tim Heneghan will make it happen.
What a joke.
Tribune really wanted to go with a woman. But it couldn’t go with McBride because of her connection to Burge torture. Cobbs was disqualified because of her residency issues when Freeman appointed her to the Cook County Circuit Court when she still lived in Will County.
Kudos to Anon 2/27 @ 10:56. For those of you who want actual information read John Conroy's article "Blind Justices," published by the Chicago Reader in 2006. It has a very informative story about one of our current Supreme Court candidates, for what it's worth.
Hey Anon 2/27 at 10:30, I have $10 that says Van Smith and Lloyd Brooks pull a "Preston Jones" and beat their Irish opponents. Why? Because there is more than one Irish gal in their contests. They are going to lose for the same reason that Kim Foxx is going to win the primary -- too many opponents splitting the vote. "Derico" won't win because like "Shoop" and "Whiting" his name doesn't sound "black" so black women will opt for a woman instead. Just ask Debra Walker who beat Thaddeus Jones in 2008 because black women thought "Debra Walker" was a black woman, but weren't sure about "Thaddeus Jones." Jones made certain everyone saw his face when he ran (and won) the next cycle in his First Subcircuit contest. History repeats itself unless some key factors are changed. Smith and Brooks can win this one. Not saying it will be a landslide, but they could squeak by. And if they win . . . they better thank Svengali.
That would be Thaddeus Wilson.
Post a Comment