Only seven of the 26 subcircuit races have so far drawn more than one hopeful. Seven!
Time was, we'd have seven contestants in some races and (especially in the subcircuits) few, if any, uncontested races. Check out the archives if you don't believe me.
The numbers would thin out a bit, after petition challenges.
But not like this.
Never like this.
It's not surprising that there have been no Cook County judicial filings since Monday morning -- I've been checking -- because in most years there's the huge rush of activity at the opening of the filing period, then nothing for days, and a little boomlet at the end. But, this year, the opening day tidal wave was hardly a ripple.
Here are the only subcircuit contests so far:
7th Subcircuit (Solganick vacancy)The links in the list above are to the first stories I've posted on FWIW about that candidate's 2024 campaign. The order in which the candidates are listed is just the order in which they appear on the ISBE printout. Actual ballot order has yet to be determined for anyone on this list except Michael Kilgallon: He is the first, and so far the only, Cook County judicial candidate deemed to have filed after 8:00 a.m. Monday morning. He would be third on the ballot in his 10th Subcircuit race, therefore.
Judge Owens J. Shelby vs. Deidre Baumann
8th Subcircuit (Collins-Dole vacancy)
Loveleen Ahuja v. Michael O'Malley
10th Subcircuit (Wojkowski vacancy)
James V. Murphy vs. Liam Kelly vs. Michael B. Kilgallon
11th Subcircuit (Daleo vacancy)
Kim Przekota vs. Audrey Victoria Cosgrove
15th Subcircuit (Demacopoulos vacancy)
Paul O'Grady vs. Luciano "Lou" Panici, Jr. vs. Allen Price Walker
19th Subcircuit (Converted from Judgeship of Senechalle)
Risa Renee Lanier vs. Dave Heilmann vs. Bridget Colleen Duignan
20th Subcircuit (Converted from Judgeship of Budzinski)
Nickolas Pappas vs. John Poulos vs. Michael J. Zink
Some more contests may materialize before filing closes. And there is one special judicial filing period vacancy so far; perhaps that will result in a contest.
They say that low voter turnout is a sign of disillusionment among the electorate. What then does low candidate turnout signify?
Nothing good, I'll warrant.
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5 comments:
Not surprising at all, Jack. I made this very point four years ago in the CBA Record--that the number of canididates per judicial vacancy in this county has been dropping substantially over the years. In the 1990s there were 4.7 candidates per vacancy; in the 2000s there were 4.0, and in the 2010s there were 2.9. What we're seeing here is just more of the same trend. I don't claim to know what's causing it, but somebody had better start looking into it because we're nearing the point where unqualified people can help themselves to judgeships just by putting their names in.
Pension. They took away the good pension. Not appealing to talented lawyers anymore.
You will also note that it has become much more expensive to run in the subcircuits when there is a contested race. In some instances, spending in subcircuit races actually eclipses the spending in countywide races. That makes is much less likely that a candidate will throw their hat in the ring unless they have considerable support --- or they are gluttons for punishment.
"Not appealing to talented lawyers anymore." Never have truer words been spoken. Anyone with real talent is making money. But not in Cook County. They are filing elsewhere because the lazy judges don't want to come to work given their BS Tier Two Pensions. Pretty soon the entire bench will be former ASAs, PD's and Insurance Defense knuckle draggers.
Haw!
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