Looking more closely at the 2023 Short List candidates - Part 3

Updated March 2, 2023

In this third part of a four part series, FWIW continues its look at each individual Associate Judge finalist. Updates to this post may be published as new information becomes available. Part 4 of this series is in preparation and will appear as soon as possible. For Part 1 of this series, click here; for Part 2, click here.

Sharon Arnold Kanter is a career prosecutor, having served as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney for over 28 years. Licensed to practice law in Illinois in 1994, according to ARDC, Kanter is currently assigned to the Felony Trial Division of the CCSAO.

Kanter is also an Adjunct Professor at Oakton College, formerly Oakton Community College, specializing in Laws of Evidence and Criminal Procedure. In addition to being a featured speaker on child sexual abuse, in 2014, Kanter was one of only 12 prosecutors from across the state to receive a Moxie Award from the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

A frequent blood donor, Kanter also reports volunteering for organizations addressing food insecurity and being a reader for the Blind Service Association.

James John Knibbs is of counsel to the firm of Foran Glennon Palandech Ponzi & Rudloff PC.

Licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1985, according to ARDC, Knibbs' firm bio notes his long experience as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney, ultimately "heading the white-collar crime unit and prosecuting complex financial crimes." It also notes that Knibbs was an adjunct at Loyola University Chicago Law School for several years.

Knibbs was a candidate for a 3rd Subcircuit vacancy in the 2020 election cycle.

Edward James Maloney is a Senior Investigator in the Office of the Inspector General, Chicago Housing Authority.

Licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1989, according to ARDC, Maloney spent 31 years in the Office of the Cook County State's Attorney (including 11 years in the Special Prosecutions Bureau) before moving to the CHA.

Maloney was a Short List finalist in both 2019 and 2021. In 2016 and 2017, according to his LinkedIn profile, Maloney tought a course in criminal law and procedure for Loyola's Criminal Justice Department.

Tisa Lynne Morris is Executive Director of Community Engagement at Cook County Sheriff's Department.

Licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1991, according to ARDC, Morris was Chief Administrator of the Chicago Police Department's Office of Professional Standards from 2004 to 2007. She also served two tours of duty as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney, from 1991 to 2004, returning in 2008 and ultimately rising to Chief of the Juvenile Justice Bureau.

Morris was a Short List finalist in 2018.

Scott Norris is an attorney with the Burnes Libman Law Group.

Licensed in Illinois since 1985, according to ARDC, Norris began his legal career as an Assistant Cook County State's Attorney, leaving that office in 1988 to set up his own practice. He joined Burnes Libman in 2001, practicing personal injury law with a concentration in premises liability, truck crashes, and other transportation negligence cases. He is also a certified mediator through the Center for Conflict Resolution.

Norris was a Short List finalist in 2021.

Michael Nando Pattarozzi is an Assistant Cook County State's Attorney currently assigned as a First Chair in the Felony Trial Division. He has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 2002, according to ARDC.

Pattarozzi, who is hard-of-hearing, is a member of the newly formed Ability Alliance Network Employee Resource Group for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. He also serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for Campus Pride (a national nonprofit promoting safe spaces and leadership development for LGBTQ+ college and university students), is a founding member of the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association Prosecutor's Caucus and LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Monique Leneé Patterson is an Assistant Cook County Public Defender. She has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1998, according to ARDC. She was a Short List finalist in 2019.

Krista Susan Peterson is a career prosecutor, currently serving as Deputy Supervisor in the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Division at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. She has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 2002, according to ARDC.

Peterson sits on the Board of Directors for the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago. She is a founding member of the Women’s Employee Resource Group at the State’s Attorney’s Office and has done volunteer work at for, among others, the Blind Services Association and the Chicago Food Depository. Peterson did her undergraduate work at Ball State University, which she attended on a softball scholarship.

Mary Anna Planey is a career prosecutor, having spent her legal career as a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney. She was licensed to practice law in 2001, according to ARDC. Her LinkedIn profile says she is Supervisor of the CCSAO's Human Trafficking Unit. Planey serves on the Board of Trustees of an organization called Kids Above All.

Planey was a Short List finalist in 2021.

Brian Randall Porter has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 1996, according to ARDC.

Mariano Ricardo Reyna is a career Cook County Assistant State's Attorney. he has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since 2003, according to ARDC.