The 2022 midterm elections are almost here, and Illinois voters will be not only tasked with choosing their statewide officials, but also with determining the makeup of a good portion of the state's judicial system.
State courts in Illinois feature elected judges at three different levels: the Supreme Court, the Appellate Courts, and the Circuit Courts.
All judges on the Supreme Court are elected by voters in their respective districts, while judges on the appellate and circuit courts can either be elected by voters or chosen by other judges currently serving on the bench.
To help guide you through the state’s court system, and what offices could potentially appear on your ballot, here is a breakdown of the three pertinent levels of the system.
Supreme Court
Structure –
There are no statewide votes on Supreme Court justices. Instead, voters are responsible for choosing the justice, or justices, that will represent their particular district.
Local
The Supreme Court is broken into five districts, and is made up of seven justices. Three of those justices are elected from Cook County, while each of the remaining four districts elects one justice apiece.
Purview –
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The Supreme Court, in addition to hearing final appeals on a select number of cases, also makes appointments to a wide variety of committees, commissions and boards. They appoint a chief justice, and they also appoint replacement justices in the event of a retirement or a resignation.
Terms –
New justices must face a competitive election, where they run for a 10-year term. Sitting justices then face retention votes for fresh 10-year terms.
A justice named as a replacement on the court serves until the next regularly-scheduled even-year election, where they face a competitive race for a 10-year term.
2022 Elections –
In this year’s election, voters in three districts will see selections on their ballots.
In the first district, which represents Cook County, Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis will face a retention vote. She will need to receive 60% support in order to retain her seat on the court.
In the second district, which covers McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane and Kendall counties, a vacancy will be filled either by Republican Mark Curran, the former sheriff of Lake County, or Democrat Elizabeth Rochford, who currently serves as a circuit court judge.
That vacancy was created when Justice Michael Burke’s residence was redistricted into the third district. That district now covers Bureau, LaSalle, Grundy, DuPage, Will, Kankakee and Iroquois counties.
Burke will be up for a 10-year term, and he will run against Democrat Mary K. O’Brien, currently serving as an appellate court judge.
More Information –
NBC 5 has compiled information on the election here, and the Illinois State Bar Association also offers information on judicial recommendations on their website.
Appellate Court
Structure –
A step below the state’s Supreme Court is the appellate court system, which features 54 judges spread out over five different districts.
The first district represents Chicago and Cook County, while the second district meets in Elgin and represents McHenry, Lake, DeKalb, Kane and Kendall counties.
The third district meets in Ottawa, and represents Bureau, LaSalle, Grundy, DuPage, Will, Kankakee and Iroquois counties. The fourth district meets in Springfield, and the fifth district meets in Mount Vernon.
Purview –
The responsibilities of the appellate court are simple: they evaluate cases from the circuit court, and determine whether the law was applied correctly in those cases.
Terms –
Some judges on the appellate court are elected by voters in their districts, and are elected to 10-year terms. They then face retention votes for fresh 10-year terms.
There are also a select number of appellate court judges that are appointed by the state’s Supreme Court.
More Information
The Illinois State Bar Association offers recommendations on appellate court judges, broken down by county, on their website.
You can also find more information the judges that will appear on your ballot on your respective county clerk’s websites, links to which can be found in our early voting guide.
Circuit Court
Structure –
There are 23 different judicial circuits that cover the state’s 102 counties. At any one time, there can be over 1,000 judges serving at this level.
Each circuit courts contains different groups of judges, most important among them circuit judges and associate judges.
The circuit court judges are elected by voters to six-year terms, then face retention votes for fresh six-year terms.
The circuit judges are responsible for choosing a Chief Judge, and they also select associate judges, who are named for four-year terms. They are then reevaluated by the circuit court judges, who decide whether or not to retain them.
In the Chicago area, these are districts covered by the circuit courts:
Cook County
12th District – Will County
13th District – Bureau, LaSalle and Grundy counties
16th District – Kane County
18th District – DuPage County
19th District – Lake County
21st District – Kankakee, Iroquois counties
22nd District – McHenry counties
23rd District – DeKalb, Kendall counties
Purview –
Most cases heard in Illinois courtrooms are adjudicated at this level. They can also review cases that are decided by state administrative agencies, according to the court’s website.
More Information –
The Illinois State Bar Association offers recommendations, by county, on circuit court judges on their website.
You can also find more information the judges that will appear on your ballot on your respective county clerk’s websites, links to which can be found here.
