Mitchell first to file for late-opening Appellate Court vacancy

Cook County Circuit Judge Ray Mitchell filed nominating papers in Springfield first thing yesterday morning for the Harris vacancy on the Illinois Appellate Court. A former partner in the appeals group at Winston & Strawn LLP, Mitchell has been on the bench since 2008 and was elected countywide in 2010. He is assigned to the Chancery Division and, before that, the Law Division.

In a press release issued yesterday, Mitchell is quoted as saying, "Through a remarkable effort from family and friends, we have managed to collect over 20,000 voter signatures in 11 days. That takes organization, hard work and lots of friends."

Mitchell's friends have also set up a campaign website. That's a link to the site in the preceding sentence.

According to the statement issued yesterday, Mitchell’s campaign committee is co-chaired by Chicago lawyers Patricia Bobb and Dan Webb. Other high profile committee members include John Cullerton, the past president of the Illinois Senate, and Bill Maddux, the former Presiding Judge of the Law Division.

"I am profoundly grateful and overwhelmed by the support and encouragement from all quarters," Mitchell said in a statement. Service on the Appellate Court would fulfill "a long-cherished dream," he said. "First as a judicial clerk and later as an appellate lawyer, I have spent much of my time in practice in and around courts of review."

Mitchell grew up in the Beverly-Morgan Park neighborhood on Chicago’s south side. He attended St. Cajetan Elementary School and graduated from Brother Rice High School in 1987.