Four in race for Dolan vacancy

I mentioned Russell William Hartigan's likely bid in this August 25 post; he filed this morning for the Dolan vacancy. The slated candidate in this race is Linda J. Pauel (that's a link to her campaign website).

Also filing for this vacancy were Kevin J. Murphy and Susan Kennedy Sullivan, both of whom also filed for the Berland vacancy. Murphy also filed for the Bronstein vacancy.

Six file for Bronstein vacancy

(Links are to candidate websites where known.)

Diann K. Marsalek is the slated candidate in this race. Filing also for this vacancy are Kevin J. Murphy (see post below) and Thomas William Flannigan.

Terry MacCarthy also filed for the Bronstein vacancy. MacCarthy ran for the Glowacki vacancy in 2008 and did receive the endorsement of the Chicago Sun-Times. As this is his first mention here in this election cycle, let me point out that I've today added a link to his campaign website in the Sidebar.

James Edward Hanlon, a lawyer since 1984, with a background in antitrust, securities and business litigation, has also filed for the Bronstein vacancy as has Sharon Finegan Patterson. This is Patterson's third bench bid. She filed for the Sheehan vacancy in the 8th Subcircuit in 2008 and for several countywide slots as well. She settled on the Glowacki vacacy, but withdrew from that in December 2007. Patterson finished third in the 2006 Primary to Pamela E. Hill Veal in the race for the Schiller vacancy. Patterson has a solo office in the Loop; she's been a lawyer since 1980 and, according to her Sullivan's entry, practices in the areas of commercial litigation, employment disputes and personal injury.

Five file for Berland vacancy

Links are to candidate websites where known.

Deidre Baumann has filed to challenge slated candidate Judge William H. Hooks. Also filing for this vacancy were Bonnie Carol McGrath, Kevin Murphy and Susan Kennedy Sullivan.

Sullivan was mentioned in Abdon Pallasch's September 20 article for the Sun-Times about judicial slating. A lawyer since 1994, with an office on LaSalle Street in the Loop, Sullivan reminded the committeemen that, "My first campaign efforts were to support John Kennedy, that's John A. Kennedy of Winnetka, my father, who was the Democratic candidate in 1962 against a young upstart, Donald Rumsfeld." She was, however, passed over.

According to Sullivan's, Murphy has a law office on West 127th Street in Palos Heights and focuses his practice in personal injury, real estate and probate matters. He has been an attorney since 1981 and is the brother of Circuit Court Judge Timothy P. Murphy.

Multiple candidates for almost every Cook County judicial vacancy

Two exceptions: First, Judge Daniel J. Pierce, appointed in 2008 to the countywide Kelley vacancy and recently transferred by the Supreme Court to the "A" vacancy in the 14th Judicial Subcircuit, was the only candidate to file for that vacancy when the doors opened this morning at the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Second, Bonita Coleman-John was the only candidate to file for the recently posted "A" vacancy in the 1st Judicial Subcircuit.

No Republicans or Greens seem to have filed for any Cook County vacancies at all in the initial wave of candidate filings today.

Of course, any Republicans or Greens wishing to do so now will find the lines much shorter.

As time permits in the next couple of days, I'll run through who filed for which vacancies. This much is certain: there will be multiple changes... additions... withdrawals... possibly even challenges in the days ahead.

Bonnie McGrath campaign website up & running

I mentioned in this October 19 post that Bonnie McGrath, whom I know from our time together on the Board of Editors of the CBA Record was running for judge. McGrath now has a campaign website up and running. That's a link to her site in the preceding sentence; I've also added a link to the Sidebar.

In an email to FWIW, McGrath said, "during my campaign, I will be stressing my extensive background in pro bono service (from supervising a group of lawyers doing orders of protection for free for needy clients -- to representing young defendants after arrest who have difficulty getting representation), my deep links to the community vis a vis my board work, and my extensive legal writing and teaching."

Tom Flannigan does double duty in Springfield

Per email received from the candidate, Thomas W. Flannigan is among those standing in line outside the Board of Elections as I write this, waiting to file his petitions to again run for judge. (Flannigan ran from the 12th Subcircuit in 2008.)

But, Flannigan advises, he has two sets of petitions with him on this trip: When the doors open this morning, Flannigan will file petitions for himself and for his wife, Circuit Court Judge Ellen Flannigan. Judge Flannigan is filing for one of the three open seats on the Appellate Court.

Tom Flannigan has a campaign website; that site is linked in this sentence and in the Sidebar.

Who's running for judge? Weekend update

Travel plans have been made; the hotel industry in Springfield will receive a real stimulus this weekend as judicial candidates make their way down from Cook County and elsewhere across the state for the privilege of shivering in line in the wee small hours outside the State Board of Elections, all thereby deemed 'first in line' when the doors finally open.

Only those 'first in line' qualify for the ballot lottery, the chance to snag that first position on the ballot.

There will be some stragglers as next week wears on and there will be a little boomlet just as filing closes on November 2, but most of the candidates will file Monday morning. By late Monday, then, we'll know for certain about the majority of the judicial hopefuls from Cook County... but, in the meantime, here's the latest information gathered from the Internet.

Assistant State's Attorney David J. Coleman is apparently planning a judicial bid. An attorney since 1993, a check of newspaper records indicates that Coleman was serving in the State's Attorney's 'cold case unit' as of 2005.

FWIW noted in this October 3 post that Assistant State's Attorney Tom Bilyk would be running in the 11th Judicial Subcircuit. He has a campaign website up and running now and I've added his link to the Sidebar.

Understandably, Bilyk's site stresses his current role as "Chief of the Juvenile Justice Division for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office where he oversees the work of over 40 attorneys, dealing with the issues of troubled and violent youth in all of Cook County." However, he also notes that, before receiving this assignment he "headed up the Mortgage Fraud Task Force made up of representatives from the Illinois Attorney General, the Illinois Secretary Of State, the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, the Cook County Assessor, the Chicago Police Department, and the City Of Chicago Corporation Council created to work together to propose and pass legislation to combat mortgage fraud and predatory lending practices."

William J. Luby, son of the late Judge Joseph K. Luby, has a campaign website up and running; the link has also been added to the Sidebar. An attorney since 1994, Luby has a law office in northwest suburban Mt. Prospect. There is also a "William Joseph Luby for Cook County Judge" up on Facebook.

I'm a little late noticing that Olympia Fields Mayor Linzey Jones has announced his candidacy for the 15th Subcircuit Lipinski vacancy. He also has a campaign website up and running; his link has also been added to the Sidebar. But I found the August 16 article in the Daily Southtown today in a Westlaw search.

An attorney since 1982, when he graduated from the University of Illinois Law School, Jones practices with the Loop firm of Pugh Jones Johnson & Quandt PC. The law firm site stresses Jones' long "experience in labor and employment law representing businesses and public agencies in developing and implementing strategies to address the wide variety of issues that arise in today’s workplace." His campaign site also notes that Jones has served as a "member of the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association and the Board of Directors of the Cook County Bar Association."

Who's running for judge? Another update

Just a couple of new names in this mid-week update....

Matteson attorney Nichole C. Patton is contemplating a judicial bid in the far south suburban 15th Judicial Subcircuit. The Patton Law Offices have a Facebook site. On the "wall" of that site is an invitation to become a "fan" of a Facebook group, "Elect Nichole C. Patton for the 15th Judicial Subcircuit."

An attorney since 1997, Patton's Facebook page says her practice is "a boutique law firm providing high-end legal services to corporations and individuals." Sullivan's Law Directory says her practice is in real estate, criminal law, and securities law. A search of newspaper records reveals a number of stories about a criminal case Patton defended in Downstate Bloomington in 2007.

Daniela Silaides, a Cook County Assistant State's Attorney and a lawyer since 2002 has also organized a judicial campaign committee, according to records filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections.

William H. Hooks campaign site announced

Judge William H. Hooks, appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2008 to the countywide Berland vacancy, and subsequently slated by the Cook County Democratic Party for that post, has a campaign website up and running. That's a link to the site in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the Sidebar.

Hooks' website stresses his long-time association with the United States Marine Corps. He retired in 1995 as a Lieutenant Colonel in the reserves after over 20 years of service, including service as an intelligence officer and in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. After his active duty military service, Hooks worked for two of Chicago's larger insurance defense firms, Pretzel & Stouffer, Chtd. and Hinshaw & Culbertson. Later, before going on the bench, Hooks was the principal of his own firm, Hooks Law Offices, P.C.

Hooks is a former president of the Cook County Bar Association. He was also the first African-American president of the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association.

According to Hooks' campaign site, N’Digo Magazine has included Hooks in its list of "Who’s Who in N’Fluential Black Chicagoans" on several occasions. Hooks was also named as one of 50 "Men of Excellence" by the Chicago Defender in 2009.

An attorney since 1981, Hooks is a graduate of Chicago's Lindbloom Technical High School. According to his campaign website, Hooks rose to the rank of Eagle Scout while living in the West Woodlawn neighborhood in the late 1960s and early 1970s; he is a member of the National Eagle Scout Association. In an email, Hooks advises that one of his daughters is setting up a campaign Facebook page as well. But I have yet to venture into that brave new world and can not presently supply a link.

Note: There are three vacancies now -- not two -- in the First Judicial Subcircuit

Too many numbers in that headline, but this list of judicial vacancies was updated October 7 to show that there will be three vacancies in Cook County's First Judicial Subcircuit in the coming primary, namely:

Vacancy of the Hon. Sharon Johnson Coleman
Vacancy of the Hon. John O. Steele
Additional Judgeship A

It's the Additional Judgeship A that's recently opened up.

Pamela Cotten to make 3rd Subcircuit bench bid

Per email received today from campaign manager Karl Perteet, Pamela Cotten is planning to file in Cook County's Third Judicial Subcircuit. That's a link to Cotten's campaign website in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the Sidebar.

A lawyer since 1995, Cotten currently works for the Chicago Housing Authority. According to her campaign website, Cotten has been with the CHA for 11 years, presently serving as an Assistant General Counsel. After graduating from DePaul Law School, Cotten served as a law clerk for Illinois Appellate Court Justice William Cousins and Illinois Supreme Court Justice Charles E. Freeman.

Before becoming a lawyer, according to her campaign biography, Cotten taught kindergarten at St. Helena of the Cross Grade School, where she attended school as a child. Cotten has also taught overseas, in Japan, and served as a "a clinical therapist for the Englewood Community Health Organization, where she provided group and individual counseling for teens and young adults." Cotten's undergraduate degree is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; she is a graduate of Chicago's Mother McAuley High School.

Cotten's website also notes that, if elected, she would be the first African-American elected from the Third Subcircuit.

Lawyer, freelance writer, judicial candidate?

Bonnie McGrath, a freelance writer and an attorney in solo practice, is thinking of making another bid for judicial office. (She ran once before, in 1998.)

Full disclosure: I've known Ms. McGrath for several years since we both served together on the Editorial Board of the CBA Record; McGrath still serves.

Among her other writing assignments, McGrath writes a blog called the "South Loop Observer" that can be accessed through the website of the Chicago Journal. McGrath mentions her possible judicial campaign in this October 13 blog entry; she even embeds a link back to this blog in her article.

Who's running for judge? Latest update

Chicago practitioner Steven G. Watkins is contemplating a run for judicial office. An attorney since 1991, Watkins has been very active in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Materials on the Omega Psi Phi site indicate that Watkins concentrates his law practice in criminal defense, civil litigation, and real estate transactions; that he has served on the Cook County Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee; and that he serves as an Arbitrator in Cook County mandatory court-annexed arbitrations.

Bonita Coleman-John, who made a bid for a 1st Subcircuit seat in 2006, appears to be considering another election effort. I found a campaign website apparently under construction. Since there's no candidate information yet posted, I'll hold off on posting the link. A lawyer since 1992, Coleman-John has an office in the Chicago Loop with Bonita Coleman-John and Associates.

Concluding this roundup, Oak Lawn attorney Nicholas W. Karas also appears to be contemplating a bid for judicial office. Karas has been a lawyer since 2000.

For those who came in late: Getting information about Cook County judicial candidates on this blog

With less than 10 days before candidate filing opens up, this may be a good time to review what I'm trying to accomplish here. This post is particularly addressed, therefore, to candidates and their supporters:

1. This is a non-partisan blog. If you're running, under whatever banner, I want to cover your candidacy. If you have a website, I will link it. I want to cover all judicial candidates in Cook County. Experience has shown that Democrats who win county-wide judicial primaries are almost certain to win election in November; no Republican even filed county-wide for the 2008 primary. Thus, there will be a lot more Democratic candidates featured here than Republicans; however, this does not mean that this blog will not cover candidates filing as Republicans or Greens.
   


2. I'm not making endorsements. When they become available, I will post ratings from the bar associations, newspaper endorsements, and any community group or union endorsements that I can verify. If I know a candidate personally I will disclose it -- but I'm not going to endorse your opponent because I know him or her.


3. I want to publicize your events. If you have a cable TV appearance, if you've been invited to address a Chamber of Commerce luncheon, if you're planning to have volunteers work all morning at the 95th Street Station on the Red Line -- and you want some publicity about it, let me know. If you have a picture and I can work it in (subject to my technical limitations) I'll try to run that too.
   


4. It costs nothing to get your information here. This is a hobby for me. I have no PayPal button. I do have Google Ads on this blog, but I do not book the ads and I'm not selling ad space or preferential coverage. If your opponent gets an ad on this page, that's between him or her and Google; it doesn't come through me. I'm trying to cover your judicial campaign the way I wish the newspapers would. Which reminds me....


5. I am not a professional journalist. I am a practicing attorney. Having run for judge twice myself (in 1994 and 1996) I appreciate just how little time candidates have to get their campaigns in front of as many people as possible -- but the needs of my practice or my family may slow my response time in given instances. I'll do the best I can. I reserve the right to edit your information, to add information I've discovered on my own, to combine or even ignore duplicative releases. In short, I reserve the right to edit, with one exception that I will explain at the end of this post. But first....
   


6. I want this these judicial posts to be a resource for voters. That means I want to provide accurate information. Accurate information may not always be the most flattering information. I will give sources; I will strive to be fair. If you think I've been unfair in a given instance, or if I've omitted something material, you are encouraged to write me or leave a public comment.


7. I reserve the right to delete comments. I don't know that comments from friends and family like "he's the best" or "she's the most qualified" are going to really sway any voters -- but I'll leave those comments alone. What I'm worried about are "attack" comments. I understand that this is a blog and open to the entire world and that a certain amount of freewheeling commentary is to be expected, but my experience from two years ago has suggested a need to intervene quickly if comments turn nasty and personal. On the other hand, a lot of positive and helpful information can come from intelligent and perceptive commenters and I'm looking forward to these.
   

One final note: Around the end of November or beginning of December, I will ask any interested candidate to provide a statement in your own words -- your own essay, addressed directly to the voters. When I did this in 2007-2008, I got statements from roughly 25 candidates. I'm hoping to have many more personal statements this time around. I ran these as they came in. I also linked to them when I did 'round up' posts -- on a race by race basis -- so voters could comparison shop in the days immediately before the primary. You can find the 2008 round-up posts and the personal essays in the Archives. To browse the Archives click on the year in the Sidebar; this will open up a month by month menu and you can search from there.

John P. Callahan website up and running

Per email received from attorney Patrick J. Enright, who advises he is helping with the campaign, the campaign website of Judge John P. Callahan, recently appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the countywide Kelly vacancy and, almost immediately thereafter, slated for that post by the Cook County Democratic Party. That's a link to the website in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the Sidebar.

A lawyer since 1988, Callahan's website notes that he is a 1981 graduate of Marist High School, that his undergraduate degree was conferred in 1985 at Marquette University, and that his law degree was was awarded in 1988 by Chicago-Kent Law School. After graduation, Callahan worked for Price, Waterhouse as a tax consultant before joining the Cook County State's Attorney's office in 1989. According to the campaign website, Callahan rose through the ranks in the State's Attorney's Office, eventually working in the Gang Crimes Unit. He left that office in 1996 to join Sullivan, Hincks and Conway, the firm for which he was working at the time of his appointment to the bench.

Callahan's website also notes a number of upcoming fundraisers:

October 20, 2009: 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Attorney's Cocktail Reception
Petterino's Restaurant
50 West Randolph
Chicago, IL 60601
5:00 - 7:00 PM

For ticket information, please email electjudgecallahan@att.net.

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November 5, 2009: 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Southside Friends and Family Event
Stony Creek Golf Course
5850 W. 103rd St
Oak Lawn, IL
$50.00 per ticket

For event information, please call Patti Skalitzky (708) 422-4812.

---------------------------------------------------

November 15, 2009: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Beverly Country Club Event
8700 S. Western Ave
Chicago, IL

For event information, please call Gene Callahan (630) 572-8500.

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November 20, 2009: 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Cork & Kerry Event
10614 S. Western Ave
Chicago, IL
$50.00 per ticket

For event information, please call Michael Callahan (708) 774-8163.

Dennis Fleming profiled on NTNM

I mentioned in this October 1 post that Ninth Subcircuit judicial candidate Dennis Fleming would be featured on an upcoming episode of North Town News Magazine.

The interview will air beginning on November 5 but it is available now on the Internet -- and right here on page two.

NTNM is seen on CAN-TV in Chicago on Channel 19, on Thursday at 7:30pm and again on Friday at 2:30pm. Evanston residents can watch on Cable Channel 6 at 8:00pm.

NTNM also airs every Monday at 6:00pm in the following suburbs: Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Des Plaines, Glenview, Golf, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Northbrook, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling (on Channel 35) and Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Maine Township (unincorporated Des Plaines), Mission Hills (Country Club Properties), Morton Grove, Niles, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette (on Channel 19).

Avy Meyers' other guest on November 5 will be Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, presently a candidate for President of the Cook County Board.

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Judicial candidates looking for TV exposure are encouraged to contact Avy Meyers through the NTNM website. I will put up any interviews a Cook County judicial candidate gives for the primary.

Are there other TV opportunities for Cook County judicial candidates? Leave a comment to this post or send me an email if you have information so that I can share it.

Found on the Internet: Diann K. Marsalek site

Found on the Internet, the campaign website of Diann K. Marsalek, recently slated by the Cook County Democratic Party for the countywide Bronstein vacancy. That's a link to her site in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the Sidebar.

A lawyer since 1990, Marsalek currently serves, according to her website, as a legal advisor to the Illinois Secretary of State. Marsalek was an alternate party choice for the 2008 primary, but no additional vacancies ever opened up. She was a finalist for Associate Judge in February 2007 and again in August 2008. Marsalek also sought a seat in the 8th Judicial Subcircuit in 1994 and 1996. She presently is President of the Lakeview Citizens Council.

According to her campaign site, Marsalek was employed by the Illinois Attorney General's Office for 15 years before joining the Secretary of State's office. She holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from DePaul; her law degree is from Northern Illinois University.

Daniel B. Malone website found

Found while surfing the Internet, the campaign website of Judge Daniel B. Malone, appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in February 2009 to the "A" vacancy in the Third Judicial Subcircuit. That's a link to the site in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the Sidebar.

In a February 6 post about Malone's appointment, I mentioned that Malone was the Vice President and was the former Treasurer and on the Board of Directors for the Workers' Compensation Association. His campaign website advises that he was this year named President of the Workers' Compensation Association.

Malone obtained his undergraduate degree in 1979 from the University of Illinois and his law degree from DePaul University in 1986. He graduated from Fenwick High School. Before his appointment to the bench, Malone was a partner at the Healy Law Firm. His website advises that Malone continues as Chair of the Finance Committee at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish. He has been a commissioner on the Southwest Home Equity Assurance Program and the Midway Noise Compatibility Commission.

Thomas "TJ" Somer to run in 15th Subcircuit?

That's what Casey Toner reports in this October 11 article in the Neighborhood Star.

Somer, the Chicago Heights city attorney and Bloom Township Supervisor, is circulating petitions to run as a Democrat in the 15th Subcircuit, according to Toner's story.

Somer has been an attorney since 1991; he served as a Chicago Heights police officer for 14 years before obtaining his law license. Somer ran as a Democrat in the 15th Subcircuit in 2008 for the "A" vacancy ultimately won by Anna Helen Demacopoulos.

One of Somer's many opponents in that crowded primary race (there were nine candidates in all) was Thomas R. Mahoney. Mahoney has also indicated his intent to run again.

Found on the Internet: Jesse Outlaw campaign site

Chicago attorney Jesse Outlaw is planning a run for judicial office. Mr. Outlaw's name is linked to his campaign website in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the Sidebar.

A lawyer since 1980, Outlaw's campaign site touts his experience in DUI law, divorce, civil litigation, labor law, probate and bankruptcy. A check of the news archives shows Mr. Outlaw represented a Cook County Circuit Court judge (then a candidate) in a personal bankruptcy matter a few years back. This will be Mr. Outlaw's second bench bid; he filed in the First Judicial Subcircuit in 1996, although he withdrew his candidacy after a petition challenge.

Lagattuta judicial campaign committee formed

A committee has been formed to pursue the judicial candidacy of John Michael Lagattuta, an attorney with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Lagattuta was in the news in 2006 when he represented the State in a hearing seeking to revoke the license of Chicago dentist Hicham Riba. Riba was accused of administering an overdose of anesthetic to a five year old patient, causing her death. An attorney since 1985, a LinkedIn profile available online indicates that Lagattuta may now be the Acting Chief Administrative Law Judge at Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Another 11th Subcircuit candidate -- and website

There is at least one more candidate pursuing the Riley vacancy in Cook County's 11th Judicial Subcircuit: Maritza Martinez, a finalist for Associate Judge in 2007, is pursing a bid. That's a link to Martinez's website in the preceding sentence; a link has been added to the Sidebar as well.

Martinez is presently associated with the Law Offices of Robert A. Fisher, Ltd. A lawyer since 1989, Martinez has worked for the City of Chicago as an Assistant Corporation Counsel and, according to her campaign site, currently serves as a Commissioner for the Illinois Court of Claims. Martinez was briefly a candidate for the Burke vacancy on the Illinois Appellate Court; she withdrew, however, before the 2008 primary.

Martinez is also on Twitter: While I do not presume to understand how this works, it appears that you can follow MaritzaForJudge by following this link.

Who's running for judge? Another update

Long-time Cook County State's Attorney James Michael Bailey, son of former Circuit Court Judge James M. Bailey, has organized a judicial campaign committee according to records posted by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

A lawyer since 1984, Bailey ran for the Hartman vacancy on the Illinois Appellate Court in the 2006 primary. He was found qualified by the Chicago Bar Association in that race. Bailey also ran as a Republican for the "B" vacancy in the 4th Judicial Subcircuit in 1996. Of course, at the time of the 1996 primary, the 4th Subcircuit was considered a safe Republican area. (Results that November were to shake that assumption.)

Another Cook County Assistant State's Attorney, Gina Crumble-Jones, is contemplating a run for the Riley vacancy in the 11th Judicial Subcircuit. A lawyer since 1994, Ken Trainor's article for the September 15 Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest notes that Crumble-Jones is currently the supervisor of the Child Protection Division of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. A graduate of Northwestern University School of Law, Crumble-Jones has also worked for the Public Guardian's Office and for the Department of Children and Family Services.

Trainor's article also tipped me to the 11th Subcircuit candidacy of Assistant Public Defender Pamela M. Leeming. Trainor's article notes that Leeming is currently "a special litigator in the Legal Resource Division" of the Public Defender's Office, "handling cases that involve DNA and forensic evidence. She also does pro bono work on a volunteer basis with a number of nonprofits, mostly involving domestic matters (divorce, adoption, etc.)."

An attorney since 1990, Leeming was a finalist in the 2008 round of Associate Judge Selection. She also currently serves as Secretary of the Asian American Bar Association.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Tom Bilyk is the third new candidate in the 11th Subcircuit disclosed by Trainor's article. A lawyer since 1983, Bilyk has spent his entire legal career in the State's Attorney's Office, currently serving as chief of the Juvenile Justice Division.

In his interview with the Wednesday Journal, Bilyk stressed his involvement with, and commitment to, the process of "'balanced and restorative justice,' which [Bilyk told Trainor] moves beyond merely punishing crimes to 'measuring success by how much harm is repaired in the community and how much competence is developed in the offending minor.'"

This is Bilyk's first run for office.

Concluding this round-up, Associate Judge Joan Marie G. Kubalanza, appointed in 1998, has organized a campaign committee in anticipation of a possible bid for a full Circuit Court seat. Judge Kubalanza is currently assigned to the Child Protection Division of the Juvenile Court. Before going on the bench, Kubalanza was a partner with Foley & Lardner.

Judicial candidates can get TV exposure

Avy Meyers, the producer, director, editor and host of North Town News Magazine, a half-hour cable-access "televised neighborhood news magazine," contacted this blog recently. Ultimately, he invited me to appear on his program, and I taped an appearance yesterday. The story of that experience will be told separately, on page two.

Meyers is interviewing judicial candidates on his show, which runs on Cable Channel 19 in the City of Chicago on Thursday at 7:30pm and Friday at 2:30pm. NTNM also runs in Evanston on Cable Channel 6 on Thursdays at 8:00pm and, according to Meyers' business card, in Skokie and "over 30 North & Northwest Suburbs" on Channel 19 or 35 on Mondays at 6:00pm.

Media-savvy judicial candidates have been lining up appearances already, Meyers told me yesterday. He receives calls from PR firms regularly. In the post below, I mentioned that 9th Subcircuit candidate Dennis Fleming taped an appearance yesterday. He was concluding his interview as I arrived for mine. Clerk of the Circuit Court Dorothy Brown, currently running for Cook County Board President, was walking in as I was walking out.

Nor is a candidate's exposure necessarily limited to the times Meyers' program airs on cable: From the North Town News Magazine home page, a person can link to YouTube interviews of Meyers' past guests, alphabetically arranged.

I'll link to judicial candidate interviews for the upcoming primary as I learn of them and post them as well.

Because his program is aimed primarily at the far North Side of Chicago and surrounding suburbs (Evanston, Skokie, Lincolnwood -- though it appears in Wheeling, Palatine and several other points north and northwest), it's doubtful how useful this program might be to candidates running in the far south 15th Judicial Subcircuit. But even with this qualification, my suspicion is that Mr. Meyers will not have to scrounge for willing guests anytime in the near future.

If anyone knows of any other opportunities for Cook County judicial candidates to get TV exposure, please leave a comment or send me an email.

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Premiering tonight in Chicago on North Town News Magazine, Cook County Commissioner Larry Suffredin. (Click on image to enlarge.)

Dennis Fleming to run in 9th Subcircuit

He has no website yet and I don't have a photo to run, but Dennis M. Fleming, a hearing officer for the City of Chicago, is planning to file in the Ninth Judicial Subcircuit.

I met Fleming yesterday as he was taping an upcoming appearance on North Town News Magazine. I'll have the video of that appearance on For What It's Worth when it is available.

Fleming, a lawyer since 1976, ran for state representative in the 15th District in 2004. Though he received the endorsements of both the Tribune and Sun-Times, Fleming lost to John D'Amico.

Judge Geary Kull to make 9th Subcircuit run

Geary Kull, appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the countywide Dolan vacancy, but not slated by the Democratic Party for that position, will seek election in the Ninth Judicial Subcircuit. Here's a link to Kull's campaign website; the site has also been added to the Sidebar.

This is not Kull's first campaign for the bench; he campaigned unsuccessfully for the countywide Durham vacancy in the 1994 primary. He was found "Qualified" for judicial service then by the Chicago Bar Association. Judge Kull's current ratings (all very favorable) are posted on his campaign website.

According to a June 4, 2009 article in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Kull, a lawyer since 1974, and a sole practitioner at the time of his elevation to the bench, "focused his practice on criminal law and civil rights law." Kull was in the news in 2006 when he and Daniel Coyne represented Floyd Durr, accused of the murder of 11-year old Ryan Harris.

According to his website, Kull attended Queen of All Saints grammar school and Notre Dame High School (now Notre Dame College Prep) in Niles. After graduation from the University of Arizona in Tuscon, Kull returned to the Chicago area to "work full time during the day as a social worker for public aid while attending the John Marshall Law School during the evenings." After graduation, Kull began his legal career in the Public Defender's Office. Kull's website reports that, over his 35 year career, he has "litigated approximately 200 jury trials and well over 1500 bench trials."

Four of five sitting judges appointed Cook County Associate Judges

The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts has today released the names of the 10 men and women chosen as Cook County Associate Judges.

In the new judicial class are four who won't need to buy robes: William Edward Gomolinski and Demetrios George Kottaras, who were recalled to judicial service by the Illinois Supreme Court after earlier appointments expired; LaGuina Clay-Clark, who has been sitting by Supreme Court appointment to the Steele vacancy in the First Judicial Subcircuit; and William Richard Jackson, Jr., who was appointed to the countywide Riley vacancy but was not chosen for a seat by the Democratic Party when it recently set its slate.

The other six new associate judges are Carmen Kathleen Aguilar, pictured at left, who made an unsuccessful bid for a 4th Subcircuit seat in 2008; Clarence Lewis Burch, who headed up the defense team of Juan Luna, who was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison for the Brown's Chicken killings; Neil H. Cohen, also a criminal-defense attorney (and one-time chief of the of the narcotics unit in the Cook County state's attorney's office) ; Stephen James Connolly, who was 'pre-endorsed' by the Democratic Party for a judicial vacancy that never opened up in 2008; Assistant Public Defender Bernard Joseph Sarley, a member of the public defender's homicide task force and the capital litigation bar; and Jeffrey L. Warnick, of Prusik, Selby, Daley & Kezelis, P.C.

Linda J. Pauel judicial campaign website on line

Per email received from Dalila Fridi, this link to the campaign website of Linda J. Pauel, recently slated by the Cook County Democratic Party for the countywide Dolan vacancy. A link has also been added to the Sidebar.

An Assistant Corporation Counsel, and a finalist for Associate Judge in the current round, Ms. Pauel is, according to her website, also a 1991 summa cum laude graduate of the IIT Chicago-Kent Law School and a member of the Order of the Coif. Pauel's website provides a list of her bar association recommendations and a slide show, but it also provides a little essay on the question of why people should vote for judges. A snippet:

[J]udges are involved in all facets of daily life from parking tickets to adoptions, divorces and decisions with broader, societal impact. The public needs to be able to rely on the impartiality, experience and trust in the judicial system and the foundation of that trust is the judges who preside.

You can still read about Pauel's slating, and the selection of the entire Cook County judicial slate, on the Chicago Sun-Times website. The link to Abdon M. Pallasch's article, "Inside the Beast: How Cook County judges are elected," is still live as of this morning.

"Inside the Beast": Pallasch writes about slating

Abdon M. Pallasch has written an article about how the Cook County Democratic Party recently compiled its slate of judicial candidates. Titled, "Inside the beast: How Cook County judges are elected," the article is currently available on the Chicago Sun-Times website. It is well worth a look.

Ann Finley Collins in 11th Subcircuit field

Assistant Public Defender and one-time Oakland (California) public school teacher, Ann Finley Collins is planning a run in Cook County's 11th Judicial Subcircuit. There's no campaign website yet, not that I could find, but the accompanying photo is taken from Ken Trainor's article about Collins' candidacy in the August 25 issue of the Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest. Collins' campaign committee was registered this week with the Illinois State Board of Elections. Trainor's article notes that Collins is a 24-year veteran of the Public Defender's office, spending the last 12 of these on the homicide task force.

John Patrick Nyhan plans judicial run

Checking the Illinois State Board of Elections website, it appears that John Patrick Nyhan, an attorney with the Cook County Assessor's Office, is planning a run for judicial office. A lawyer since 1998, the March 25, 2008 Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reported that Nyhan was made "chief legal counsel for the assessor's office. He previously served as the director of the legal department and director of the special assessment programs." I have not yet been able to locate a campaign website for Mr. Nyhan.

Cook County Democrats announce judicial slate

Rewritten and bumped up because of new information received.

My thanks to David Fagus, 49th Ward Committeeman, for passing along this information. Late Friday, September 11, Fagus announced on his blog, Democratic Party - 49th Ward, that the Cook County Democratic Party has endorsed the following persons for judicial office:

For the Appellate Court:

• Judge James R. Epstein, who currently sits in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court;
• Judge Pamela E. Hill Veal, who currently sits in the First Municipal District; and
• Justice Sebastian T. Patti, a Circuit Court judge who was assigned to the Appellate Court by the Supreme Court this past June.

For the Circuit Court:

(This is the list in the order provided by Mr. Fagus and posted on the 49th Ward website.)

• Linda Pauel, an Assistant Chicago Corporation Counsel, and a finalist for Associate Judge in the current selection round;
• Sandra Ramos, a criminal defense attorney who was an alternate selection of the Democratic Party for the 2008 primary -- pre-endorsed for a vacancy that never opened up;
• William H. Hooks, appointed by the Supreme Court to the Berland vacancy;
• Raymond W. Mitchell, appointed by the Supreme Court to the Hayes vacancy;
• Thomas V. Lyons II, appointed by the Supreme Court to the O'Malley vacancy;
• John Patrick Callahan, recently appointed by the Supreme Court to the Kelly vacancy -- after the Supreme Court effectively "transferred" Daniel J. Pierce, who had been appointed to this position, to the "A" vacancy in the 14th Subcircuit; and
• Diann Marsalek, a lawyer with the Secretary of State's Office in Chicago, who was another alternate party choice in 2008.

When I put this post up over the weekend, I did not know, and could not find out, which person was endorsed for which vacancy. John Flynn Rooney, in this evening's Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, clears all this up. Per Rooney's article, the Democratic Party's endorsements are for these vacancies:

Judicial Office (Name of Vacancy)	Endorsed Candidate
Appellate Court (McNulty)	James R. Epstein
Appellate Court (O'Malley)	Pamela E. Hill Veal
Appellate Court (South)	Sebastian T. Patti
Countywide Circuit Court (Berland)	William H. Hooks
Countywide Circuit Court (Bronstein)	Diann K. Marsalek
Countywide Circuit Court (Dolan)	Linda J. Pauel
Countywide Circuit Court (Hayes)	Raymond W. Mitchell
Countywide Circuit Court (Kelley)	John P. Callahan, Jr.
Countywide Circuit Court (O'Malley)	Thomas V. Lyons
Countywide Circuit Court (Riley)	Sandra G. Ramos

Also of note: The Democratic Party has again "pre-endorsed" candidates for the Appellate and Circuit Courts. For the Appellate Court, the candidates waiting in the wings are Circuit Judges Jesse Reyes and Mary Rochford. For the Circuit Court, the alternates are Daniel Gallagher and Associate Judge Mathias Delort.

One Additional Note: This post has been updated with current information.

Deidre Baumann campaign website found

Deidre Baumann, of the Chicago firm of Baumann & Shuldiner, is planning a judicial bid. That's a link to her campaign website in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added in the Sidebar.

An attorney since 1992, Baumann obtained her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Baumann has been in the news lately in connection with the scandal at Burr Oaks cemetery. Baumann's campaign website advises that she is "[c]urrently lead counsel on [the] Burr Oak Cemetery litigation." Baumann was also in the news in 2001, when she represented a woman strip-searched by customs inspectors at O'Hare. The inspectors were looking for drugs, but found nothing. The Sun-Times reported on August 22, 2001 that a federal court jury recommended that the government pay $129,750 for the improper search but the District Court declined to follow that recommendation and the judgment in favor of the government was affirmed on appeal. (Kaniff v. U.S., 351 F.3d 780 (7th Cir. 2003).)

A former president of the North Suburban Bar Association (2005-06), Baumann has also been active in the Suburban Bar Coalition and is currently the chair of the judicial reception committee of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. Baumann stresses her expertise in constitutional law on her campaign website. Baumann has served as a volunteer for the Lawyers for the Homeless Project of the Legal Assistance Foundation and for the Street Law Program. According to her campaign site, she has participated in many moot court and mock trial programs for students. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Lane Tech Alumni Association.

Committeeman writes primer on becoming a judge

Michele Smith, the Democratic Committeeman of Chicago's 43rd Ward, has written a useful summary of the methods by which a person can become a judge in Illinois. Entitled Mysteries Revealed: Becoming a Judge in Cook County, the post appeared August 27 on Smith's blog, 43rd Ward Democrats - Michele Smith Committeeman.

Smith's article may be particularly useful for voters who are interested in gaining a better understanding of the Illinois judicial election process.

Appointed and slated all in the same week

A week ago, John P. Callahan, Jr. was an associate with the Oak Brook firm of Sullivan Hincks & Conway. Then, on Monday, September 8, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Callahan to the countywide Kelley vacancy. (Judge Daniel J. Pierce, who had been assigned to that vacancy by the Supreme Court in 2008, was reassigned to the "A" vacancy in the 14th Subcircuit on September 1, 2009.)

By the end of the week, the newly-appointed judge was endorsed for a countywide judicial post by the Cook County Democratic Party.

It must have been a whirlwind week indeed for John P. Callahan, Jr.

Thomas V. Lyons website found

A link for the campaign website Judge Thomas V. Lyons, has been found and added to the Sidebar.

Judge Lyons was endorsed this week by the Cook County Democratic Party for a countywide vacancy. He was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the James P. O'Malley vacancy in August 2008. Lyons was an Assistant States Attorney from 1986 to 2005, when he joined the Nolan Law Group. Lyons' website features a link to a .pdf version of his résumé.

Found on the Internet: Joseph Chico campaign site

I previously mentioned (at this post) that Joseph Chico appeared to be considering a run in Cook County's 1st Judicial Subcircuit.

Mr. Chico now has a campaign website up and running. That's a link to the site in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the Sidebar.

An attorney with his own firm, Joseph A. Chico & Associates, P.C., Chico stresses, on his website, that he has experience in real estate, family law, fair housing, personal injury, municipal code violations, probate, and pro bono Law. A 1989 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Chico also graduated from St. Francis De Sales High School in Chicago. Chico's campaign website notes that he was inducted into the St. Francis De Sales Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jeffrey Greenspan joins 9th Subcircuit field

Jeffrey Dov Greenspan, an attorney with the Chicago firm of Pomper & Goodman, has announced his candidacy for judge in the 9th Judicial Subcircuit. That's a link to his campaign website in the preceding sentence; a link has also been added to the Sidebar.

A lawyer since 1979, Greenspan is a graduate of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics for the College of Commerce at the University of Illinois.

Greenspan's website stresses that:

• He is a former Attorney for Skokie and Lincolnwood (village prosecutor);
• He has 30 years of litigation experience;
• He has experience on the Niles Township High School Board (a member, he notes, for over 10 years);
• He is a member of the North Shore Center for Performing Arts Board;
• He has experience with energy and land conservation (as an attorney for the Governor’s Office of Consumer Services and working for CorLands and the Trust for Public Lands); and
• He is a Kesser Maariv Congregation Board Member

Greenspan has also been a Chair-qualified arbitrator for the Cook County Mandatory Arbitration program since its inception in 1990. He is a long-time resident of Skokie, where he lives with his wife and four children.

Thomas Mahoney plans 15th Subcircuit run

Per email received, Assistant State's Attorney Thomas R. Mahoney is planning to circulate and file petitions for one or more of the open seats in Cook County's 15th Judicial Subcircuit.

A 1992 graduate of John Marshall Law School, Mahoney holds a bachelor's degree in business administration and management from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Currently, Mahoney serves as a Supervisor in the Special Prosecutions Bureau of the Gang Crimes Unit in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. He has been with the State's Attorney's Office since 1993. Mahoney has also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois since 2000.

A member of the Board of Police and Fire Commissioners of the Village of Orland Park since 2004, Mahoney has received Chicago Police Department Special Commendations in 2004 and 2009. Mahoney received the Chicago Crime Commission Star of Distinction Award in 2004 and an "Excellence in Law Enforcement Award" from the Chicago Crime Commission in 2007. He also received the United States Department of Justice Award for Public Service in 2004 and 2005.

Mahoney has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law in the Trial Advocacy Program at DePaul University College of Law since 1999 and on the faculty of the National District Attorneys Association. He has frequently lectured or served as an instructor for the Chicago Police Department Education and Training Division.

Mahoney reports that he has been found "qualified" for judicial service by the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association and "Well Qualified," "Qualified," or "Recommended" by all of the other members of the Alliance of Bar Associations. He is a member of the Prosecutor's Bar Association and served on the Chicago Bar Association's Judicial Evaluation Committee from 2000 to 2004.

Study suggests masculine names may help women get on the bench?

Debra Cassens Weiss writes this week in the ABA Journal blawg, Law News Now,that, at least in South Carolina, women lawyers with masculine-sounding names have better odds of becoming a judge than their counterparts with feminine names.

The authors of the study, Do Masculine Names Help Female Lawyers Become Judges? Evidence from South Carolina, Bentley Coffey, an Assistant Professor of Economics at Clemson, and Patrick McLaughlin, a Research Fellow at George Mason University, propose a "Portia Hypothesis"* for this perceived phenomenon, that "females with masculine monikers are more successful in legal careers." Success, for purposes of this study, was measured by attaining a judicial post. The paper purports to demonstrate, in Weiss' words, "that changing a woman’s name from something feminine, such as Sue, to a gender-ambiguous name such as Kelly increased the odds of becoming a South Carolina judge by about 5 percent... [while changing] the name Sue to a predominantly male name such as Cameron tripled the odds of becoming a judge, and changing it to Bruce increased the odds by a factor of five."

However, South Carolina is not Illinois. In South Carolina judges are mostly "elected" by the state legislature after first passing through a merit selection commission. In Illinois, though, the evidence would seem to point in a different direction. A feminine-sounding name may actually confer some advantage on a judicial candidate; a feminine-sounding name coupled with an obviously-Irish surname seems to confer an even greater advantage.

And I am not making this up, or relying solely on anecdotes. In a February 2008 post, I wrote about the work of Albert J. Klumpp, PhD, a Research Analyst with the Chicago firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP. In addition to his published works (cited in my earlier post),** Klumpp wrote me that he'd developed "a model for analyzing primary elections" that he'd only just begun to test. Klumpp said that his tentative model "indicates that female candidates had a gender advantage of nearly 200,000 votes. That's for one female candidate running against one or more male candidates; multiple female candidates in a contest split the advantage. That compares to shifts of around 60,000 for slating, 120,000 for a sweep of superior recommendations from the Tribune, Sun-Times, CBA and CCL, and 130,000 for an Irish-name advantage."

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* Portia is a character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, a woman who dresses as a man to plead a case in court. Horace Rumpole referred to Phyllida Trant, later Phyllida Erskine-Brown, in the Rumpole of the Bailey books and television programs as "the Portia of our chambers."

** Klumpp has since published Arizona Judicial Retention: Three Decades of Elections and Candidates in the November 2008 issue of Arizona Attorney.