Supreme Court assigns Third District justices to hear First District ballot challenge

In an Order entered last Thursday, the Illinois Supreme Court assigned a number of justices from the Third Appellate District to hear the pending appeal in the Gallahgher and Murray case.

As FWIW readers already know, an appeal was promptly taken from the Circuit Court's recent order reinstating Judges Carolyn J. Gallagher and Leonard Murray to the March primary ballot.

Murray is, or would be, pending the outcome of the present appeal, a candidate for the open Delort vacancy; Circuit Court Judge Celia Louise Gamrath is the Democratic Party's slated candidate for this vacancy, and the only other candidate who filed for this vacancy.

But Gallagher is, or would be, a candidate for the Cunningham vacancy. Justice Cynthia Y. Cobbs holds this vacancy pursuant to Supreme Court appointment; she must hold this seat in the forthcoming election in order to remain on the Appellate Court. If Gallagher is removed from the ballot, Cobbs, the slated candidate of the Cook County Democratic Party, would be unopposed for election.

The text of Thursday's Supreme Court Order (linked above) states, in pertinent part, "On the request of Honorable David W. Ellis, Chair of the Executive Committee, First District Appellate Court that judges of another district be assigned to the Appellate Court, First District, to consider the matters of Carolyn J. Gallaher (sic) and Leonard Murray, Petitioners-Appellees, v. Objectors Elizabeth Watson and John J. Lydon, Respondents-Appellants * * * , Case No. 1-24-0224, and the Supreme Court having determined that the public necessity so requires: IT IS ORDERED that Appellate Judges Adrienne W. Albrecht, Liam C. Brennan, Linda E. Davenport, Joseph P. Hettel, William E. Holdridge, Mary W. McDade, and Lance R. Peterson, or a panel as designated by the Presiding Judge of the Third Appellate District Court are hereby assigned to the First Appellate District case on such dates as may be necessary for the purpose of hearing matters in the above-named case."