Many of the names on your ballot for the 2022 Illinois general election this year are judges, who are elected from specific districts or circuits -- not statewide. That means the judges you vote for will be different based on where you live.
Here's a breakdown of how to find out ratings for each of the judges running for a spot on the Illinois Supreme Court, along with ratings for judges running for retention or reelection in your local appellate or circuit courts.
Illinois Supreme Court Vacancies in Your District
The Illinois Supreme Court has seven total seats: three from the First District, which is Cook County alone, and one each from the four other districts across the state. After winning their first elections, Supreme Court justices serve 10-year terms and are up for retention votes to win any additional 10-year terms thereafter.
2020 was a pivotal year for the court: voters chose not to retain Democratic Justice Thomas Kilbride in a rare loss following a massively expensive, ad-heavy race. Republican Justice Robert Thomas also announced his retirement, and the U.S. Census paved the way for the state's judicial map to be redistricted. That all led to two vacancies on the ballot this year for the newly drawn Second and Third Districts in Chicago's suburban counties.
Democrats have long held a 4-3 majority on the court. The three justices from Cook County are all Democrats, including Justice Mary Jane Theis, who is up for a retention vote this year. The justices from the Fourth District (central and western Illinois) and Fifth District (largely downstate) are both Republicans, with two seats now to be decided in November.
In the Second District (which includes Lake, McHenry, DeKalb, Kane and Kendall counties), the two candidates are Republican Mark Curran and Democrat Elizabeth "Liz" Rochford. In the Third District (which includes DuPage, Will, Kankakee, Iroquois, Grundy, LaSalle and Bureau counties), the candidates are Republican Michael J. Burke and Democrat Mary K. O'Brien. Justice Mary Jane Theis of the First District is also up for a retention vote.
First District -- Mary Jane Theis
- Illinois State Bar Association – Yes for retention
- Chicago Council of Lawyers – Highly qualified for retention
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Second District -- Mark Curran (R)
Curran is an attorney who most recently ran for U.S. Senate in 2020, earning 38% of the vote as Sen. Dick Durbin cruised to another term. A former prosecutor and private attorney, he first entered politics when he was elected Lake County Sheriff in 2006 as a Democrat before switching parties in 2008. He served as sheriff through his defeat in 2018. Curran has never served as a judge and is rated as “not recommended” by the Illinois State Bar Association.
What associations say:
- Illinois State Bar Association – Not Recommended
- DuPage County Bar Association – Did Not Participate
Second District -- Elizabeth "Liz" Rochford (D)
Rochford has been an associate judge in Lake County’s 19th Circuit Court since her appointment in 2012. Previously she also worked as a prosecutor and in private practice. The Illinois State Bar Association rated her as “highly recommended.”
What associations say:
- Illinois State Bar Association – Highly Recommended
- DuPage County Bar Association – Highly Recommended
The Third District includes DuPage, Will, Kankakee, Iroquois, Grundy, LaSalle and Bureau counties. The candidates there are Republican Michael J. Burke and Democrat Mary K. O'Brien.
Third District -- Michael J. Burke (R)
Burke was appointed in 2020 to fill Thomas' Second District vacancy but is now running in the Third District following the redistricting of the court. Also a former prosecutor, Burke was an associate judge beginning in 1992, then a circuit judge in the Eighteenth Circuit before serving most recently on the 2nd Appellate District Court prior to his appointment to the Supreme Court.
What associations say:
- Illinois State Bar Association – Highly Recommended
- DuPage County Bar Association – Highly Recommended
Third District -- Mary K. O'Brien (D)
O’Brien was previously a private attorney and a state legislator from 1997 to 2003 when she was appointed to the 3rd Appellate District Court where she has served since.
What associations say:
- Illinois State Bar Association – Recommended
- DuPage County Bar Association – Highly Recommended
You can read the ISBA’s rationale behind their evaluations on their website, and you can find out more on DCBA’s methodology on their website.
Researching Appellate, Circuit Court Judges in Your Local County
On the Illinois Appellate Court, there are five vacancies. Two are in the First District (Cook County), with only one candidate running for each of those vacancies. Then there's one vacancy each in the Second, Third and downstate Fifth districts, all with contested races. Multiple Appellate Court judges across the state (including six in Cook County) are also up for retention votes this year.
Then there's Illinois' circuit court system. The state has 24 judicial circuits, six of which are a single county: Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will. The circuit courts deal with millions of legal cases every year, on everything from crime to civil lawsuits, divorce, adoption, eviction, traffic tickets, workers' compensation, wills and more.
There are two types of judges in Illinois' circuit court system: circuit judges, who are elected by voters for a six-year term and then up for a retention vote for each term thereafter, and associate judges, who are appointed by other judges.
In Cook County, two-thirds of the roughly 400 judges are elected - either countywide or on a subcircuit, which is a particular portion of the county, similar to a district. This election cycle, there are 27 vacancies in the Cook County Circuit Court that are on the ballot: 10 countywide and 17 in subcircuits. There's only one candidate in all but one of those vacancies. And there are 55 Cook County Circuit Court judges up for retention votes this cycle as well.
Of the nearly 50 other circuit court vacancies on ballots in Illinois outside Cook County this election, 18 have more than one candidate. There are also nearly 50 circuit court judges outside Cook County who are up for retention votes.
Ways to research the local judges on your ballot
- Use Illinois'' State Bar Association's website to search your ballot by county
- Read evaluations from the Chicago Bar Association
- Read State Judicial Evaluations from Chicago Council of Lawyers
- Read evaluations by district from VoteforJudges.org
For a more in-depth analysis of just Cook County, Injustice Watch has also compiled information on each candidate, including their backgrounds, any controversies, ratings, fundraising and more.
Top races, voting FAQ and more. Get everything you need before Election Day with our Voters Guide.
