There's a new Short List out... and it's really short

As if things weren't busy enough around here....

Some FWIW readers may remember the announcement of a new class of associate judges last April, an announcement that came almost immediately after the selection of the most recent class of 22 new associate judges.

Unlike several recent applicant classes, FWIW never got hold of a list of the applicants for this latest class. (I did ask. Stuff happens.) But -- word was -- not a lot of people jumped into what was presumably going to be a pool for a very small class (only three, as it happens). A commenter (named Anonymous, of course) left word on this post that only 81 persons had applied in this round.

The press release issued yesterday from the Office of Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans confirms that exact number. (Of these, 65 were interviewed by the Circuit Court's Nominating Committee. Seventeen candidates withdrew, one after being interviewed.) By comparison,

• There were 212 applicants in March 2022,
• 246 in February 2021,
• 212 in September 2018,
• 272 in February 2017,
• "Over 270" applicants for the short list announced in March 2014,
• 239 applicants for the short list announced in March 2012, and
• 278 applicants for the short list announced in August 2009.

The small number of available positions (three -- but only one, when the class was announced) may have scared off some potential applicants. But whatever the reason, it was an historically small pool of applicants.

This should not detract from the achievement of those happy few who made the short list announced yesterday. They are:

• David Charles Adams,
• Kenya Alicia Jenkins-Wright,
• Gina Angela Piemonte,
• Antara Nath Rivera,
• Federico Martin Rodriguez, and
• Torrick Alan Ward.

FWIW will look more at the finalists in the week to come. (FWIW readers will surely recognize some of these names. Already one has reached out to me to provide some biographical information; as always, I'm happy to hear from all.)

From this list of six, the full Circuit judges in Cook County will select three; these will be seated as the next class of associate judges.

Here's the way the process works, according to information provided by the Chief Judge's Office: The Chief Judge will notify (and presumably has notified) the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts of the names of the candidates selected by the Circuit Court's Nominating Committee and request the Director to begin the balloting process. Within 14 days after the Chief Judge’s notification, the Director will mail a secret ballot with the names of all candidates to each circuit judge. The judges may vote for as many candidates as there are vacancies to be filled (that is, no more than three), and must return the ballots to the Director within 14 days of the date the ballots were distributed. The Director then counts the ballots, which are accompanied by a signed card, tabulates the results, and certifies them to the Chief Judge – at all times maintaining the secrecy of the ballots.

The six persons on the short list will endeavor to meet personally, or at least in groups, with as many of the circuit judges as humanly possible in the next couple of weeks. Think of it as fraternity or sorority rush on steroids and roller skates and you'll begin to get the idea.

The Circuit Court's Nominating Committee for this associate judge class consisted of:

• Hon. Timothy C. Evans, Chief Judge,
• Hon. Erica L. Reddick, Presiding Judge, Criminal Division,
• Hon. Sophia H. Hall, Administrative Presiding Judge, Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Resource Section and Interim Acting Presiding Judge, Chancery Division,
• Hon. Sanjay T. Tailor, Justice, Illinois 1st District Appellate Court,
• Hon. Jill C. Marisie, Presiding Judge, Third Municipal District,
• Hon. Shelley Sutker-Dermer, Presiding Judge, Second Municipal District, and
• Hon. E. Kenneth Wright, Jr., Presiding Judge, First Municipal District.