Judge Neil H. Cohen to seek countywide vacancy

Neil H. Cohen was appointed to the countywide Mitchell vacancy last September. He will be seeking nomination and election to a countywide vacancy in the 2024 primary.

A campaign website has been launched in support of Cohen's campaign. That's a link to Judge Cohen's campaign website in the preceding sentence; a link will added in due course to the Candidate Sidebar on this site as we move deeper into this election cycle.

Cohen served as an associate judge from 2009 until his appointment as a full Circuit judge last year.

His campaign bio notes his long judicial service, including his service in the prestigious Chancery Division since 2011. Most regular FWIW readers will understand the Chancery appointment as a significant career achievement, especially for an associate judge. But members of the general public may not appreciate that, not that long ago, it was considered impossible for an associate judge to hold such a position.

When Cohen became a judge, in 2009, he was working as a criminal defense attorney. His campaign bio touts his 20 years in private practice, as well as 10 years' service in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Cohen also serves as a member of the Illinois Supreme Court's Judicial College Committee on Judicial Education. He has previously served on the Executive Committee of the Illinois Judicial Conference and was the Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court's Historic Preservation Commission's 'History on Trial' Program, according to his campaign bio. He is the current President of the Jewish Judges Association.