CBA publishes narrative explanations of ratings issued to countywide Cook County judicial candidates in contested primary races

The Chicago Bar Association has released its ratings of candidates running in next week's primary election.

The ratings themselves were released at the end of last week (March 8), and are available at this link. The complete Judicial Voters Guide, which contains the narrative explanations of the CBA's ratings of all candidates, in contested as well as uncontested elections, is in the process of being linked from this page this evening. As of 5:00 p.m. this evening (March 12), the link was not live, but FWIW has been advised that it will be live very soon.

Meanwhile, we have the narratives for candidates running in contested primary races here.

In this post, we will look at the CBA's explanations of its ratings in the contested primary races for countywide vacancies on the Cook County Circuit Court. The CBA's ratings in contested primary races for the Supreme and Appellate Court are covered in this post. In a separate post later this evening, we will publish the CBA's ratings in contested subcircuit races.

In releasing its ratings, the CBA explained that its non-partisan evaluations are the product of a comprehensive, peer-to-peer review process conducted as a long-standing public service by the CBA’s Judicial Evaluation Committee. Candidates who submit a questionnaire and participate in the screening process are evaluated based on seven criteria: integrity, legal knowledge, legal ability, professional experience, judicial temperament, diligence, and punctuality.

Candidates must also participate in a personal interview before members of the evaluation committee. They must receive a 60 percent favorable vote of the hearing panel members to receive a “Qualified” finding and an 80 percent favorable vote to receive a “Highly Qualified” finding. Candidates who receive less than a 60 percent favorable vote receive a “Not Recommended” finding, as do candidates who decline to participate in the evaluation process.

"With 69 judicial candidates on the ballot this primary, it is imperative for each candidate's qualifications to be accessible to Cook County voters," said Michelle Carey, Chair of the CBA's Judicial Evaluation Committee. "The CBA's 'Judge Smart Pocket Guide' is a valuable tool to help voters cast smart and informed votes for judicial candidates."

Countywide Vacancies

Flannery Vacancy

Pablo F. deCastro - Qualified
Pursuant to section 34 of The Chicago Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee’s Governing Resolution, The Executive Committee has voted to issue a “Qualified” rating for Pablo F. DeCastro’s current Circuit Court Judge candidacy.

Chelsey Renece Robinson - Qualified
Chelsey R. Robinson is “Qualified” for the office of Circuit Court Judge. Ms. Robinson was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1996 and is currently in private practice concentrating in criminal and family law. Ms. Robinson has a wide range of practice experience and is well regarded for her knowledge of the law and diligence.

Mitchell Vacancy

Neil Cohen - Qualified
Judge Neil Cohen is "Qualified" for the office of Circuit Court Judge. Judge Cohen was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1976. He served as an Associate Judge from 2009 through 2022 when he was appointed a Circuit Court Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court. He currently sits in General Chancery. There, he is respected for his knowledge of the law and diligence in his work habits. He is well respected for his legal ability, integrity, and judicial experience. However, he is faulted for his unpredictable temperament. The committee is persuaded that he is committed to improving his temperament sufficiently to find him qualified to serve as a Circuit Court Judge.

Wende Williams - Not Recommended
Wende Williams declined to participate in the Judicial Evaluation Committee (JEC) screening process and, therefore, according to The Chicago Bar Association’s governing resolution for the JEC, is automatically found NOT RECOMMENDED.

Murphy Vacancy

Lori Ann Roper - Not Recommended
Lori Ann Roper is "Not Recommended" for the office of Circuit Judge. Ms. Roper was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1994 and has served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Law Office of the Cook County Public Defender for 26 years. Ms. Roper is currently a supervisor in the Felony Trial Division. Concerns about the candidate's candor and judgement regarding personal financial challenges resulted in a "Not Recommended" finding.

Edward Joseph Underhill - Qualified
Pursuant to section 34 of The Chicago Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee’s Governing Resolution, The Executive Committee has voted to issue a “Qualified” rating for Edward Jospeh Underhill’s current Circuit Court Judge candidacy.

Propes Vacancy

Debjani 'Deb' Desai - Qualified
Debjani Desai is "Qualified" for the office of Circuit Court Judge. Ms. Desai was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 2008. She is currently the General Counsel for the Illinois Office of the Controller. Prior to that she was an administrative law judge at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. She began her career as an Assistant State's Attorney, first in the Child Protection and Enforcement Unit and then prosecuting cases in the Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit. Ms. Desai is well regarded for her knowledge of the law, diverse legal experience, and excellent demeanor.

Russ Hartigan - Highly Qualified
Russell W. Hartigan is "Highly Qualified" for the office of Circuit Court. Mr. Hartigan was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1976 and practiced law from 1977-2010 concentrating in civil trial, workers' compensation, municipal and appellate practice matters. Mr. Hartigan has handled a number of appeals in both the State and Federal Courts and authored many articles in the ISBA Journal. Mr. Hartigan was appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 2010 and served as a judge until 2017. Mr. Hartigan is currently practicing law with a suburban firm. Mr. Hartigan has extensive experience as a lawyer and as a judge and possesses all the requisite qualifications to serve as an Appellate Court Justice.