The CCL report lists candidate evaluations in alphabetical order. Voters may find it more useful to see what the Council thinks of candidates seeking each vacancy, particularly in (those all too few) contested races. So, in this post, we will break down the Council's evaluations of countywide judicial races (including the uncontested Appellate Court race). In the next post, we will look at the Council's evaluations of candidates in Subcircuits 1-11 and, in a third post, we will look at the Council's evaluations of candidates in Subcircuits 13-20.
As soon as all that's done, I'll get to work updating the Organizing the Data posts to include the Council's narratives. Be patient; I'll get it done as soon as I can.
Before we begin, though, I just want to highlight one paragraph from the Council's lengthy explanation of how its candidate evaluation process. As always, I commend the entire document, linked above, for your consideration. But -- perhaps in light of recent events involving the Council -- it is worthwhile to single out this particular paragraph, and especially the first sentence thereof:
The Council does not evaluate candidates based on their substantive views of political or social issues. Nor do we take into account the particular race in which a candidate is running or the candidates against whom a candidate is running. We apply a uniform standard for all countywide and subcircuit elections because judges elected through either method can be assigned to any judicial position in the Circuit Court.With that preface, we begin with the CCL's evluation of the only Appellate Court candidate:
Hon. Judith Rice - Qualified
Judith Rice was admitted to practice law in 1988. She was elected to the bench in 2104 and served in both First Municipal and Domestic Relations. Since 2021, she has served as Presiding Judge of the Domestic Violence Division.
Judith Rice is considered to be very smart and has extensive experience as a government official and in the banking sector. She is reported to have a very good temperament and a high degree of professionalism. She is praised as an excellent administrator and dedicated public servant.
The Council finds her Qualified for the [Appellate] Court.
Countywide Vacancies
Burke Vacancy
Steven Q. McKenzie - Qualified
(The Council's list of evaluation narratives does not include a narrative for this candidate, but FWIW can confirm that the Council gave a Qualified rating to this candidate. - Ed.)
Cobbs Vacancy
Luz Maria Toledo - Qualified
Luz Maria Toledo was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2006. She has worked with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office since 2007. She is currently assigned to the Civil Actions Bureau, Real estate litigation practice, where she handles real estate tax matters. Prior to that, she spent over 10 years in the criminal division, where she prosecuted traffic, misdemeanor, and felony cases.
Ms. Toledo received high marks from all who were interviewed. She has a vast amount of trial experience in both criminal and civil matters and is considered to have good legal ability and knowledge. She is reported to have “outstanding character,” to treat everyone fairly and impartially, and to have a good disposition.
The Council finds Ms. Toledo Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Linda Sackey - Qualified
(This evaluation was prepared before Judge Sackey was appointed to the bench. - Ed.) Linda Sackey was admitted to practice in 2006. Ms. Sackey has served as a judicial law clerk for Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis, since 2019. She served from 2013 to 2018 as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Appeals Division of the Illinois Attorney General’s Office, from 2008-2013 as an associate with a law firm, and from 2006-2008 as a staff law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.
Linda Sackey has exceptional legal ability and knowledge. She is praised for her writing ability and for her integrity, and is reported to have a good temperament. She has substantial appellate litigation experience.
The Council finds her Qualified for the Circuit Court.
Coghlan Vacancy
Ashonta C. Rice - Qualified
(The Council's list of evaluation narratives does not include a narrative for this candidate, but FWIW can confirm that the Council gave a Qualified rating to this candidate. - Ed.)
Michael Carbonargi - Well Qualified*
(This evaluation was prepared before Judge Cabonargi was appointed to the bench. - Ed.) Michael Mario Carbonargi was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2001. He is currently Counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and brings extensive legal experience from the SEC, Cook County Board of Review, and ARDC hearing board.
Mr. Carbonargi received unanimous praise for his intelligence, ethics, and fairness.
The Council finds him Well Qualified for the Circuit Court.
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* Since this rating was finalized, some additional information has come to light that has been summarized on the Injustice Watch website, at https://2026primary.injusticewatch.org/candidate/michael-cabonargi-34872 and was not covered in our prior investigation. Because we have not had an opportunity to investigate further and there is not sufficient time to do so or to provide due process to the candidate, our rating remains the same.
Hooks Vacancy
Ava George Stewart - Qualified
(The Council's list of evaluation narratives does not include a narrative for this candidate, but FWIW can confirm that the Council gave a Qualified rating to this candidate. - Ed.)
Karkula Vacancy
D'Anthony "Tony" Thedford - Qualified
(The Council's list of evaluation narratives does not include a narrative for this candidate, but FWIW can confirm that the Council gave a Qualified rating to this candidate. - Ed.)
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3 comments:
Thank You for pointing out the hypocrisy! The CCL does not take into consideration a candidate’s political views.
Oh the hypocrisy!!
They don’t take into account political views ! LIARS!
Let’s see what happens with the federal case of Justice Neville vs. Judge James R. Brown.
And as for Judge Thedford, he was an assistant public defender during this period of 2011-2018. So was his wife. His wife is currently a grade 4 Cook County Public Defender making about $150k a year. But……Between 2011 and 2018, the state and federal governments filed liens against Thedford and his wife seeking to collect about $249,000 in unpaid taxes, interest, and penalties. In 2020, the couple declared bankruptcy and reported that they owed the IRS some $220,000 and owed the Illinois Department of Revenue about $10,000. The bankruptcy filing indicated they were paying the IRS about $1,500 per month. Tax debts generally cannot be wiped away through bankruptcy, and state and federal tax authorities declined to comment on any debts owed by Thedford and his wife.
These bar associations and their recommendations are an absolute complete joke!!! Having worked in the court system for 40 years, I’ve always said these associations should interview the court personnel in the courtrooms that have worked side by side with a majority of these candidates. I look at the list of these judges and see so many that are running unopposed. I just shake my head with disgust that this is the current state of the judiciary. Every election season it just gets worse.
Without commenting on Thedford, it is true that our judiciary gets worse with each passing election cycle. More government lawyers claiming to be “public servants,” when all they want is a pay increase and five weeks vacation. Hell, they had to be ordered to return to work 4 years after the pandemic has been over. What a bunch of moochers.
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