ISBA releases narrative explanations of its candidate ratings in contested Supreme and Appellate Court races

The Illinois State Bar Association has published explanations for its ratings of Cook County judicial candidates on its website. To access these narratives, interested persons must first click on the Judicial Evaulations and Advisory Polls by County page, then click on the Cook County link.

Clicking in this fashion will bring up a candidate list, by office, first in ballot order and, then, in subcircuit order. (Clicking on the "Cook County" link in the preceding paragraph seems to go directly to the list, both on a desktop and phone. -- Ed.) One must click on the "read evaluation" link in order to read any narrative.

An ISBA spokesperson said that all this is supposed to make accessing the ISBA's information easier by phone and, therefore, since voters are allowed to carry their phones into the polling booth, that much more helpful to voters.

In this post, FWIW looks at the narratives released by the ISBA in contested races for the Appellate and Supreme Courts. In upcoming posts, we will look at the ISBA's narratives in contested countywide and subcircuit Circuit Court races.

Supreme Court

Burke Vacancy

Jesse G. Reyes -- Highly Qualified
Hon. Jesse G. Reyes has been licensed in Illinois since 1984. He currently sits on the Appellate Court – First District. He was selected as an associate judge in 1997, elected to the circuit court in 2008 and, subsequently, elected to the Appellate Court – First District in 2012. While a circuit court judge he sat in Mortgage Foreclosure, Traffic, Domestic Violence, and the Sixth Municipal District (Markham). Before taking the bench, he was an assistant corporation counsel and an attorney for the Chicago Board of Education. Judge Jesse is a former president of the Illinois Judges Association, the Latin American Bar Association; former secretary of the Chicago Bar Association; and a former assembly member with the Illinois State Bar Association in addition to other committee work. He has lectured on legal topics and has been the recipient of several awards. He is the current president and a founding member of the Diversity Scholarship Foundation and sits on the board of the North Suburban Bar Association. The several awards, including most recently, the 2022 Distinguished Service Award from the Arab American Bar Association, the 2023 Socrates Dikastes Award from the Hellenic Bar Association, and a 2023 Appreciation Award from the Hispanic Illinois State Law Enforcement Association.

Attorneys described him as a hard worker who is prepared, strict and fair. He writes well-reasoned opinions and issues them in a timely fashion. ISBA finds Justice Jesse G. Reyes highly qualified to be elected as a Justice to the Illinois Supreme Court – First District.

Joy Virginia Cunningham -- Highly Qualified
Hon. Joy Virginia Cunningham has been licensed in Illinois since 1982. In December 2022, she was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court upon the retirement of Justice Anne M. Burke. Prior to the appointment Justice Cunningham had served on the Appellate Court since 2006; prior to her election to the Appellate Court, she has been Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Northwestern Memorial System for six years. Justice Cunningham had also served as an associate judge in the Cook County Circuit Court between 1996 and 2000, where she presided over civil litigation. She is past president and a member of the Chicago Bar Association, including ISBA, Cook County Bar Association, Women’s Bar Association, Black Women Lawyer’s Association, and the Illinois Judges Association. Justice Cunningham has served on various Appellate Court and Supreme Court committees; has taught at judicial education conferences and written on various legal topics. She is the recipient of several awards, including most recently, the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Judicial Achievement Award in 2023 for the Women’s Bar Association and Judge Ann Claire Williams Award in 2023 from the Black Women Lawyer’s Association.

Attorneys described her as well-respected, diligent, and fair, with excellent legal knowledge and ability. They reported that she asks relevant questions, has a calm demeanor, and is known for her good character and high integrity. ISBA finds Justice Joy Virginia Cunningham highly qualified for election to the Illinois Supreme Court – First District.

Appellate Court

Cunningham Vacancy

Carolyn J. Gallagher -- Not Qualified
Hon. Carolyn Gallagher was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1982. She was elected to the Cook County Circuit Court in 2016, retained in 2022, and has been assigned to the Probate Division since 2018 after first sitting in Housing and Traffic Courts. In July 2023, she became Supervising Judge of the Surety Section of the Probate Division. Judge Gallagher created the bench book for Minor Guardianship and is a member of various groups including the National College of Probate Judges. She has taught at DePaul College of Law.

Concerns were raised regarding the lack of diligence and punctuality in the courtroom, as well as the lack of diligence in the preparation of her application that contained numerous typos and grammatical errors. ISBA finds Judge Carolyn J. Gallagher not qualified to be elected as a Justice to the Illinois Appellate Court – First District.

Cynthia Y. Cobbs -- Highly Qualified
Hon. Cynthia Y. Cobbs was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1988. Prior to her appointment as a circuit court judge in 2011, she was the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts after holding other positions within the court system. She was subsequently elected to the circuit court in 2014 and has been assigned to the Appellate Court since 2015. She was retained as a circuit court judge in 2020. She is a former chair of the Illinois Judicial Council, committee chair and board member of the Illinois Judges Association, as well as being a member of various bar and legal organizations. Judge Cobbs has spoken at judicial conferences, received various awards, including the C.F. Stradford Award from the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office; the Trailblazer Award from the Cook County Bar Association; and the Illinois Judicial Council President’s Award.

Attorneys consider her to be smart, knowledgeable, patient, and hard working. They report that she issues fair and well-reasoned decisions. ISBA find Justice Cynthia Y. Cobbs highly qualified to be elected as a Justice to the Illinois Appellate Court – First District.

Delort Vacancy

Celia Louise Gamrath -- Highly Qualified
Hon. Celia Louise Gamrath has been licensed in Illinois since 1994. After serving as a law clerk to the Appellate Court, she joined Schiller DuCanto and Fleck, rising to partner. In 2010 she was appointed to the Cook County Circuit Court, elected in 2012 and retained in 2018. She has been assigned to the Chancery Division since 2016 after previously serving in Domestic Relations. She is a past president of the Justinian Society, has been a board member of the Appellate Lawyers Association, the Illinois Judges Association, and secretary for the Chicago Bar Foundation. She is a former member of the Board of Governors, and the Assembly for the Illinois State Bar Association, is a past Vice President of the Board of Trustees for The John Marshall Law School, now known as the University of Illinois – Chicago Law School. Judge Gamrath has written on legal topics, teaches, and speaks at bar and law school events. She has received several awards, including the Illinois Bar Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award.

Attorneys praised her knowledge of the law, reporting that she gives fair hearings with well-reasoned and principled rulings. She is hard-working, impartial, and professional. ISBA finds Judge Celia Louise Gamrath highly qualified to be elected as Justice to the Illinois Appellate Court – First District.

Leonard Murray -- Highly Qualified
Hon. Leonard Murray has been licensed in Illinois since 1974. He was chosen as an associate judge in 2007 and retained as such in 2011 and 2015. He was elected to the Cook County Circuit Court in 2016. He is currently serving as a Supervising Judge, Municipal Department – Housing Section. Judge Murray has served on various committees, boards of various bar associations, including the Illinois State Bar Association, and has been a speaker on legal topics. He is a past president of the Cook County Bar Association, has chaired committees, been a board member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the National Bar Association. He has served on the Illinois Supreme Court committees and with various community organizations and received the Board of Governors Award in 2002 from the Illinois State Bar Association.

Attorneys reported that he has good legal knowledge in his current assignment and is sensitive to the many pro se litigants who appear before him and stated that he is efficient in getting cases resolved. ISBA finds Judge Leonard Murray highly qualified to be elected as Justice to the Illinois Appellate Court – First District.