The list I saw last week was pretty accurate -- I'm told on good authority that the list was circulating among a number of judges -- but it contained 245 names.
The actual number of applicants is, however, 246. The complete list of names follows at the end of this post.
Let's get the commercial out of the way immediately: Persons with relevant information regarding any associate judge candidate are invited to communicate by letter to the Circuit Court of Cook County Nominating Committee, c/o Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, 50 West Washington Street, Room 2600, Richard J. Daley Center, Chicago, Illinois 60602.
FWIW readers will recognize the names of several recent primary candidates on this list, including all four of the candidates slated by the Democratic Party, including two appointed judges, who did not win their 2020 primary races.
There are, by my unofficial count, 18 present or former appointed judges seeking associate judge vacancies, including the two referred to in the paragraph above. The one presently serving Circuit Court judge is Cara Lefevour Smith. Among the 17 former judges seeking to return to the bench as associates is Jackie Marie Portman-Brown, who was defeated for retention this past November. Also, by my unofficial count, 12 of the 15 finalists from the 2019 associate judge selection process are included in this group.
Herewith, the complete list of applicants:
- AAKRE, Amrith Kaur
- ADAMS, David Charles
- AHMAD, Maryam
- AHUJA, Loveleen K.
- ALLEN, Charles Daniel
- ALLEN, Shay Tyrone
- AMBROSE, Garvin Gauss
- ANTOLEC, Sonia A.
- ARNOLD, Kina Nicole
- AUGUSTUS, Maria
- BADILLO, David
- BAE, Jennifer Eun
- BARRIDO, Jerome Celis
- BAUMANN, Deidre
- BHANDARI, Aileen
- BHAVE, Sunil Shashikant
- BISCEGLIA, Joell Claire
- BLANCHARD, Patrick Malone
- BLINICK, Robert Kendall
- BRACEY, Charles Scotto
- BRASSIL, John Hugh
- BROOKS, Lloyd James
- CALLAHAN, Jennifer Patricia
- CARROLL, John P.
- CASEY, Carol Anne
- CAZARES, Jorge V.
- CENAR, Richard George
- CHICO, Joseph
- CLEWIS, Scott Richard
- CLOSE, Deirdre
- COHEN, Christopher Bittel
- COLEMAN-ROMEO, Arlene Yvette
- CONDON, Jr., Thomas J.
- CONWAY, John Joseph
- CONWAY, Marcia O’Brien
- COOPER, Christopher Chriss
- CORBIN, Torrie Luciana
- COSGROVE, Audrey Victoria
- CYRUS, Rocell, Jennal
- DADAY, Stephen Gerard
- DANAHER, Richard G.
- DAUPHIN, Yolaine Marie
- DAWKINS, Barbara Lynette
- deCASTRO, Pablo F.
- DELACRUZ, Aracelli Reyes
- DEMATTEO, Gabriel Joseph
- DEMITRO, Steve
- DERICO, JR., James Thomas
- DESAI, Debjani Dasgupta
- DIFRANCO, Frank Rocco
- DOLAN, Alice Elizabeth
- DOSS, Rivanda
- DRAKE, Gwendolyn Elizabeth
- DUFFY, Cristin McDonald
- DUNLAP, Charnell Denise
- DUNNEBACK, James Francis
- DWYER, III, Patrick Edward
- DYER, Deidre Myra
- EBERSOLE, Sabra Lynne
- ELRABADI, Naderh Hana
- ERICKSON, Jon Forrest
- EVANS, Jr., Carl Lauras
- FAHY, William Nicholas
- FALEY, Michael Joseph
- FARMAKIS, Athena Aphrodite
- FEARON, John Robert
- FIAONI, Karla Marie
- FLORES, Barbara Nubia
- FORD, Ann Kettelson
- FORESTER, Laura Ellen
- FOTOPOULOS, John Spyros
- FOUKAS, Anastasios Thomas
- FRANSENE, Sarah Lynne
- FRENTZAS-BUBARIS, Athena
- FRITCHEY, John Alden
- GALHOTRA, Kulmeet Singh
- GEORGE STEWART, Ava Monique
- GERBER, Michael Perry
- GLAUB, Tien Hanh
- GLENNON, Caroline Gale
- GOLDBERG, Mitchell Benjamin
- GONZALEZ, Dawn Marie
- GORDAN, Elias Martin
- GORMAN, Colleen Candace
- GRIFFIN, Jacqueline Marie
- GUDINO, Ruth Isabel
- GUMP, Joseph Michael
- HARTIGAN, Russell William
- HENRY, Jeffrey Thomas
- HERNANDEZ, Jasmine Villaflor
- HERZBERG, Steven
- HOLLEB HOTALING, Keri Leilani
- HOURIHANE, John Nahum
- HOWSE, Natalie Lynn
- HUDSON, Brandon
- JANNUSCH, Matthew William
- JAWGIEL, Michael Bryan
- JEFFERSON, Sharon
- JHA, Lakshmi Elkhanialy
- JIMENEZ, Martha-Victoria
- JOHN, Patrick Dankwa
- JONES, Celeste Kathleen
- KANTAS, Nicholas Alexander
- KARKULA, Elizabeth Anne
- KATUBIG, Belle Lourdes
- KAWITT, Alan
- KELECIUS, Linas Jones
- KELLY, David Lewis
- KENT, Heather
- KNIBBS, James John
- KOUGIAS, Thomas Peter
- KOZICKI, Scott Michael
- KUMMER, Scott William
- KURTZ Michael O’Malley
- LAMANTIA, John Sam
- LARSON, James Andrew
- LATZ, Michael Paul
- LEAHY, Laura Marie
- LEVIN, Ellis Bernard
- LEVIN, Lawrence Wolf
- LILLY, Lisa M.
- LINDSAY, Camile Jessica
- LOFTUS, Thomas Jerome
- LOPEZ, Diana Elena
- LUCAFO, Anthony Dominick
- LYNCH, Stacey Elizabeth
- LYONS, Kristin Marie
- MAHER, John G.
- MALLOY, Catherine M.
- MALONEY, Edward James
- MALONEY LAYTIN, Kerrie Elizabeth
- MANGUM, Jameika Williams
- MARCIN, Mary B.
- MARKS, Alexander David
- MARSHALL, Jenetia Marshall
- MARTIN, Timothy Alan
- McGRORY, Michael Sweeney
- McLAUGHLIN, Ellen Wight
- McLAUGHLIN, William John
- McMAHON, William John
- MECZYK, Ralph Eugene
- MELCHOR, Mary Alice
- MILAN, Robert Joseph
- MOLTZ, Ira Alexander
- MORRIS, Tisa Lynne
- MORRISSEY, Thomas A.
- MOULTON, Daniel Martin
- MOWATT, Raoul Vertick
- MURPHY, III., James V.
- NEELY, Melanie Patrick
- NIKOLIC, Jr., Daniel Peter
- NORRIS, Scott
- NOVY, James Bryan
- NOWINSKI, Thomas Edwad
- O’BRIEN, Kimberly Atz
- OCHALLA, Kevin John
- O’DELL, Katherine Angela
- ODOM, Ginger Leigh
- OLSHANSKY, David Scott
- O’MALLEY, Michael I.
- O’MEARA, John Andrew
- OSTOJIC, Radusa
- OTIS, Donna Lynn
- PAPPAS, Nickolas George
- PARENTE, Christopher Vincent
- PATEL, Shilpa C.
- PATTERSON, Monique Lenee
- PAYNE, Litricia Pauline
- PIEMONTE, Gina Angela
- PILLSBURY, Amanda Moira
- PITTS, Dartesia Ayanna
- PLANEY, Mary Anna
- PLOTNICK, Paul William
- PORTER, Arlette G.
- PORTER, Brian Randall
- PORTER, Tracie Reneé
- PORTMAN-BROWN, Jackie Marie
- QUINONES, Carmen Migdalia
- RAINES-WELCH, ShawnTe Miaundra
- RAKOWSKI, Leo Steven
- RICE, Ashonta Cherron
- RICHARDS, David John
- RICHARDS, Joseph Samuel Milder
- RICHARDSON, Barbara Elaine
- RICHARDSON, Travis
- RIEBMAN, Elliott Michael
- RILEY, Shellé Eileen
- RIVERA, Antara Nath
- ROACH, Steven Robert
- ROBINSON, Chelsey Renece
- RODGERS, Anne McCord
- ROE-TAYLOR, Parle M.
- ROLECK, David Michael
- ROPER, Lori Ann
- ROSS, Curtis Bennett
- RUFFIN, Anthony
- RUSCH, Michael Paul
- RYAN, Elizbeth Condron
- RYAN, Richard Joseph
- SAINDON, Pamela
- SAMPEN, Don R.
- SANTANA, Jaime Rafael
- SAUCEDA, Eric Michael
- SCANLON, Brian Patrick
- SCHNEIDER, Margaret Elizabeth
- SHELBY, Owens Joseph
- SIMMONS-FORD, Jade Ginese
- SIMMONS-STOVALL, Felicia H.
- SMITH, Cara LeFevour
- SMITH, Judie Lyn
- SMITH, Trina
- SMITH CONYERS, Theresa Marie
- SMUDA, Joan Ellen
- SOLOMON, Donald Scott
- SOMERVILLE, Monica Gail
- SPENCE, Keith Lenell
- SRIVASTAVA, Ankur
- STEIN, Alon
- STEWART, Rodney Walter
- STRATIGAKIS, Pamela J.
- STROM, Michael Alan
- STROMSTA, Jon Karl
- SUMNER, Nyshana Kali
- SUTTON, Arthur D.
- SWANAGAN, Anthony Charles
- SWEDLOW, Stephen Andrew
- TAYLOR, Lisa M.
- TOFT, Rachael Nicole
- TOUSSAINT, Marie Lynn
- TRAVERS, Timothy Kevin
- TROWBRIDGE, Bradley R.
- TURANO, Andreana Ann
- TYNER, Randall Louis
- TZINBERG, Scott William
- UNDERHILL, Edward Joseph
- WALKER, Gregory Eric
- WALSH, Diane N.
- WEAVER, Michael Wesley
- WESTON, Antoinette Denise
- WHITING, Oran Fresno
- WILLIS, Julie Elizabeth
- WILSON, John Wellington
- WOLF, Steven Carl
- WOLFMAN, Amanda Marie Hinkley
- WRIGHT, III., Timothy W.
- ZAYYAD, Naheda
Do anonymous comments on this blog constitute a written comment to Judge Evans?
ReplyDeleteWho did they sneak in after the fact? FIX!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck. I look over the list and see so many good people I have worked with and alongside, or tried cases with or against. There are other good people I have known only in passing or others that I have just heard good things about. So many good people, so few spots.
ReplyDeleteInvariably, the associate judge candidates, and the associate judge process itself, fall under great scrutiny during this time of evaluation and selection. There are so many qualified and deserving candidates, a number of whom have already dedicated the bulk of their legal careers to public service. Lost in the forest of candidates, is the lifetime of accomplishments that each has already amassed at this point in their careers. It always seems that this process leads to joy for a lucky few and considerable disappointment for the overwhelming majority.
It would be great if every intelligent and qualified candidate who had a substantial amount of significant legal experience could be appointed to the bench. We all know, however, there are simply not enough spots for that to happen. We all hope that a representative judiciary will be occupied by the best, fairest, and brightest, but realistically acknowledge that laudable goal will likely remain unattainable all things considered.
I hope that all of you who have spent considerable time and resources completing rather lengthy application(s) will not become disheartened as you move through what is during the best of times an imperfect process. I hope that you will enjoy meeting people while making the rounds instead of dismissing it as artificial glad handing. I hope that you will look at your careers with fondness and remember all the good work that you have done and not get caught up in the end result of the process. I hope that when you look at this list, you recognize that although there are some who you may not feel are worthy, there are so many who have accomplished so much and are. I hope that the latter greatly outweigh the former, but you never know.
Lastly, I hope that those who have undertaken and/or been given charge of the evaluation and selection process do so thoroughly and fairly. It can be a thankless job. It is difficult enough to judge a person's attributes and qualifications, even more so when you are comparing apples to oranges to bananas to blueberries, etc. At the very least, each of these candidates deserves a full and fair evaluation and not to be summarily dismissed or tossed aside in order to tilt the table to favor the preordained or chosen few. I hope they will be judged with the same fairness and impartiality that we would hope any judge would use upon being elevated to the bench.
Again, good luck
Dunno. A lot of recent past opponents. Perhaps we should put them in a ring with a shovel tossed in the center. Last one standing gets a robe.
ReplyDeleteNow that vaccinations are rolling out, when can we expect the Chief Judge to announce some semblance of an actual plan to herd the cats, uhm, “judges” back to work? It’s been a year. Time for many of you to return from your extended vacations. You can’t make the associate judges do all of your work.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 2/17 at 6:08 p.m. -- NO!
ReplyDelete@Unknown 2/17 at 7:37 p.m. -- Thank you for your comment. Well said.
"Dedicated the bulk of their career to public service." That is always the narrative that is pushed. The counter narrative is that they are government lawyers who don't value the time of private practitioners, which leads to the corrosive assembly-line justice mentality of so many of the elected circuit judges. Ultimately, we have a court larded with lazy career government hacks who would enjoy nothing more than for their COVID vacation to last 19 years.
ReplyDeleteBut good luck to Jackie Portman. It would seem that the Tribune (and likely, ultimately, Injustice Watch) are trying to intimidate Evans and the presiding judges to not put you on the short list. For you I say this in all sincerity . . . you can just run too.
Pee Wee Herman
To Ms. or Mr. "Or you can just run" (who I will affectionately call "Rod"): pay to peddle your services.
ReplyDeleteI've got nothing to sell or advertise. My unsolicited advice for you is to not piss off Jack Leyhane or abuse his blog. For the rest of you, run a clean race and be prepared. Be very, very prepared. Because it's about to get very interesting out here. See you in November . . . in Springfield.
Welcome to the Layer Cake
-- Daniel Craig
I see some outstanding lawyers on this list. I also see a whole bunch of clock-watching, mouth-breathers. Those who can do. Those who can't . . .
ReplyDeleteLike probably every other attorney who has regularly appeared in a courtroom, there have been times when I was disappointed with the quality, effort, and/or principles of the judge I was appearing before. Judges are human - they each come with a host of highly individual qualities, both good and less desirable. These times are greatly outnumbered by the times I have appeared before highly qualified jurists who worked hard and exerted great effort in trying to reach the correct result.
ReplyDeleteI am saddened by the dim and bleak view some have expressed regarding this process and these candidates. I am even more disturbed when comments are made that equate working for the government with laziness, incompetence, and a lack of skill. A lot of lawyers probably went to law school attempting to maximize their financial bottom line. And for those who have wanted that, and accomplished that, you have reached your goal and received your chosen award. So many people who work in the public sector do not do so because they are lazy, incompetent or are poor lawyers, but because they are attempting to serve the community and achieve some form of justice even a micro-level. They want to help people and make their corner of the world a better place to be. They are not driven by the same forces that others are. That does not make their job any easier or less challenging. In fact, considering the nature of our corner of the world, its a damn tough job. Truly thankless job on most days.
This is not to say that a public sector lawyer should be blindly given preference over a private practitioner in the quest for an elusive judgeship. The decision of the public sector lawyer to forego traditional private practice, and the financial incentives and trappings that go along with it, often shows that person's commitment to public service in a real and tangible way. That commitment to public service is something we want all of our judges to have because at the end of the day that is who they serve. Dismissing the accomplishments of these public servants in a wholesale manner as some sort of false narrative does a disservice to them and the idea that ours is a profession - not merely a job.
Whichever way this whole thing breaks, I hope that we try and come together as a profession in these trying times instead of tearing each other apart. I hope that we stop taking the easy way of being critical of whole categories of candidates and dismissive of the process and instead work to make the process as good as it can be. If we cannot even try to come together or are so hardened that we think that coming together is impossible, we have sealed our own fate. Let's not let that happen
Dear Judge Evans:
ReplyDeleteYou have never cared about the opinions of the Chicago Tribune before, so don't be bullied by their intimidation tactics concerning former Judge Jackie "Scared Straight Kindergarten Edition" Portman-Brown.
Bring Her Back!
Bring Her Back!
Bring Her Back!
Mumia Abu Jamal, III
You must be odd to be number one.
ReplyDelete-- Dr. Seuss
While all of you engage in class warfare, I am preparing my run. Because I can and will just run. Not selling nothing neither.
ReplyDeleteMany of these people can't "just run" because they can't just "get on the ballot." And if they could do that, they wouldn't know what to do once they get there.
ReplyDeleteDear Judge Evans:
ReplyDeleteDon't save any of the has-been circuit judges. Many have been on the list before and if your colleagues wanted ANY of them, they would already be associate peons.
"Or you can just run."
ReplyDeleteThey are running. They are running in the election for associate judge. They will have to convince the voters (circuit court judges) to put them on the bench. Same difference.
Anon 2/23/201 @8:04
ReplyDeleteSpoken like someone who has never run before. But if you make the AJ short list, you are welcome to share that opinion with each and every circuit judge you meet. I am certain that they will vote for you and tell you so to your face. You will almost certainly win by a landslide. Or do something by a landslide.
Sincerely,
My name is "so you could just run . . . no advertisement intended."
There isn't an associate judge finalist who has never gotten the votes of every vote ever promised to them by a circuit judge . . . LOL.
ReplyDeleteI think the ASA with the rich law partner husband . . . will just run in the 8th Subcircuit. At least that's what she has been telling people.
ReplyDelete