Although the upcoming presidential election is dominating the headlines (thanks, Donald), next Tuesday’s primary is about so much more than who will be the next resident of the White House. Statewide, we are voting on our representatives in Congress and in the legislature. Here in Cook County, among other things, we are voting in the hotly contested race for state’s attorney.
Most of you are going to arrive at the section for judges having no idea who any of these people are. Is one of these judges the lady who went off her meds and walked from Markham to the Daley Center to assault a sheriff’s deputy? Is this the judge who was removed from the bench due to allegations of mortgage fraud? Is this the guy who hit me with that big fine on that speeding ticket 2 years ago?
Well, I am here to help! While I don’t know every judge in the State of Illinois or even Cook County, I know who does. The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Chicago Bar Association and Cook County Bar Association all have committees that evaluate judges, and they all publish the ratings. Here are links to some of the judge ratings. Print them, take them with you to the polling station, and brag to your friends how informed you are about this election.
Illinois State Bar Association – This is the one for you if you happen to live outside of Cook County. They rate judicial candidates all over Illinois.
Chicago Bar Association – This is the one I use. They even have a pocket guide, so that you can better conceal your voting crib notes.
Cook County Bar Association – In case you don’t fully trust the opinions of the other 2 bar associations.
If you live outside Cook County, your local county bar association almost certainly reviews and rates the judges and judicial candidates. Just type “[my county bar association] judicial evaluations,” and the evaluations will probably be the top result.
So there you have it! And if you don’t vote, don’t complain about how much President Trump is spending on the wall to keep Muslims out!
