Thinking about submitting an application for associate judge?

Filling out the revised application on the Illinois Courts website is merely Step One.

Step 1A involves reaching out the bar associations that evaluate associate judge hopefuls. While there are 13 bar associations that issue evaluations that will be considered by the Circuit Court Executive Committee, 12 of these groups work together as the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening. Joyce Williams, the administrator who coordinates the Alliance screening process, has asked all potential candidates to contact her for the Alliance questionnaire forms as soon as possible. That's a link to Ms. Williams' email in the preceding sentence.

The Chicago Bar Association is the other bar group that issues evaluations of judicial candidates. Email Therese Kurth at tkurth@chicagobar.org to receive the CBA Questionnaire and forms.

First time applicants will note that the associate judge application is similar to, but not the same as, the Alliance Questionnaire which, in turn, is similar to, but not the same as, the CBA Questionnaire. Nevertheless, most people will find it helpful to work on all of these simultaneously. These are all substantial undertakings and will take some time to properly complete. (And while it's true that, in every election cycle, one or more candidates gets elected without submitting to bar association screening, no one is going to make the "short list" without going through the evaluation process.)

And if you are not thinking about applying for judge, at least not for a few years, you may wish to consider helping the bar groups sift through the lengthy candidate questionnaires by joining a judicial evaluation committee. Every bar group that issues evaluations has one. And if you are a member of any of these bar associations, you can join.

As longtime FWIW readers know, judicial candidate evaluations are sometimes criticized as partisan or ideological; individual evaluators have been criticized for having an 'agenda.' But the influence that any one evaluator may have, no matter how determined, can be diminished, if not eliminated, through numbers: The more evaluators that participate, the fairer the process should likely be. Particularly if you, Dear Fair-Minded Reader, participate.

There is significant work involved in JEC committee service, but, particularly for those attorneys who regularly appear in court (or who will, eventually, again regularly appear in court some day) there is also an opportunity to improve the quality of the bench and thereby improve the quality of your own professional life.

Members of Alliance groups interested in JEC service should contact Joyce Williams; CBA members may wish to contact Therese Kurth.