Four last-minute filings round out special judicial filing period

Papers were filed at 5:00 p.m. yesterday on behalf Judges Tracie Porter and John H. Ehrlich, the pre-slated (1st alternate) candidates of the Cook County Democratic Party for the late-opening Circuit Court (Callahan) and Appellate Court (Harris) vacancies.

The links in the preceding sentence are to prior FWIW articles.

Also filing at the last possible moment was Dominic J. Buttitta, as a Republican candidate in the 13th Subcircuit.

Licensed to practice in Illinois since 2010, according to ARDC, Buttitta is the principal of the Buttitta Law Group in Barrington.

Buttitta has no campaign website yet, but his firm bio stresses his experience in both criminal and civil matters. He worked for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office before finishing law school, moving to the McHenry County State's Attorney's Office after receiving his license. He has been in private practice since 2013.

Joe Gump also filed for the 13th Subcircuit vacancy a little earlier yesterday afternoon, and in the Democratic primary.

An Assistant Public Defender for most of his legal career, Gump now has a solo practice. He has been licnesed to practice in Illinois since 1987, according to ARDC. He was a candidate for a 13th Subcircuit vacancy in 2020. He does not yet have a campaign website. (This photo was obtained from a prior FWIW post.)

Review of the Illinois State Board of Elections website this morning confirms that the petitions of all of these candidates and, indeed, the petitions of all candidates filing for these vacancies, are being reviewed. Challenges, if any, to the petitions of candidates filed in the special judicial filing period are due by next Monday, April 11.