Illinois Cook Judicial Circuit Court

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# Court[edit]

Jurisdiction of the Cook Judicial Circuit

The Cook Judicial Circuit encompasses Cook County, Illinois. It is the largest judicial district in the state and, according to the court website, "one of the largest unified court systems in the world."[1]

## Circuit court judges[edit]

* Timothy C. Evans[1] (Chief judge)

Serving Chicago, unless otherwise noted:

* Laura Ayala-Gonzalez
* Mary Brosnahan
* Andrea M. Buford
* Kathleen Burke
* Thomas J. Byrne
* Thomas J. Carroll
* Cynthia Y. Cobbs
* Mary Ellen Coghlan
* Neil H. Cohen
* Alison C. Conlon
* Araceli De La Cruz
* Thomas M. Donnelly
* Daniel P. Duffy
* Rossana P. Fernandez
* Kathy Flanagan
* James Flannery
* Carolyn Gallagher
* Daniel J. Gallagher
* Aleksandra Gillespie
* Peter Gonzalez (Bridgeview)
* Ruth Isabel Gudino
* Catherine Haberkorn (Skokie)
* Jack Hagerty
* Maureen Hannon
* Elizabeth Mary Hayes
* Corinne Heggie
* Sheree Henry
* William H. Hooks
* Cecilia Horan
* Arnette Hubbard
* Preston Jones Jr.
* Paul Karkula
* Kerry Kennedy (Bridgeview)
* Susan Kennedy Sullivan
* John Kirby
* Daniel J. Kubasiak
* Kathaleen Lanahan
* Stuart Lubin
* John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr.
* Thomas V. Lyons, II
* Terence MacCarthy
* Diann Karen Marsalek
* Maritza Martinez
* Celestia Mays
* Kelly Marie McCarthy
* Thomas McGuire (Markham)
* Michael McHale
* Mary McHugh
* Bridget Anne Mitchell
* Teresa Molina
* Caroline K. Moreland
* Michael Tully Mullen
* James P. Murphy
* Lorraine Murphy
* Patrick T. Murphy (Bridgeview)
* Timothy Murphy
* Lewis Nixon
* Brendan O'Brien
* Karen Lynn O'Malley
* Susana Ortiz
* Joan Powell
* Patrick Powers
* Jill Quinn
* Clare Quish
* Cynthia Ramirez
* Sandra G. Ramos
* Erica L. Reddick
* Kristal Rivers
* Arlene Y. Coleman Romeo
* Diana Rosario
* Kristyna C. Ryan (Maywood)
* Patricia O'Brien Sheahan
* Tom Sianis
* Rosa Silva
* Levander Smith Jr.
* Tiesha Smith
* Chris Stacey
* Laura Sullivan
* Shelley Sutker-Dermer (Skokie)
* Sanjay T. Tailor
* Edward Underhill
* Kathryn Maloney Vahey
* Rena M. Van Tine
* Debra B. Walker
* Elizabeth Walsh
* Maureen Ward Kirby[2]
* Lynn Weaver Boyle
* Tammy Wendt
* Maura McMahon Zeller

Cook County Courthouse housing the domestic violence division.

Cook County Criminal Courthouse on Chicago's South Side

### Resident judges[edit]

* Sophia Hall
* Irwin Solganick

## Associate judges[edit]

* Carmen K. Aguilar
* Gregory E. Ahern
* Mohammad Ahmad
* Marina Ammendola
* Sophia Atcherson
* David B. Atkins
* Hilda Bahena
* Callie L. Baird
* Patrice Ball-Reed
* Jerry Barrido
* Fredrick Bates
* Laura Bertucci Smith
* Samuel J. Betar, III
* Sunil Bhave
* Shauna Louise Boliker
* Darron E. Bowden
* Karen J. Bowes
* William Stewart Boyd
* Lloyd Brooks
* Gary L. Brownfield
* Elizabeth M. Budzinski
* Clarence Lewis Burch
* Anthony J. Calabrese
* Matthew James Carmody
* John Thomas Carr
* James Robert Carroll
* Nicole Castillo
* Joseph Cataldo
* Timothy Chambers
* Peggy Chiampas
* Joseph M. Claps
* LaGuina Clay-Herron
* Jennifer Coleman
* Thomas J. Condon
* Stephen J. Connolly
* Torrie Corbin
* Israel A. Desierto
* Thomas M. Donnelly
* Melissa Ann Durkin
* Lauren Gottainer Edidin
* James Epstein
* Brian K. Flaherty
* Lawrence E. Flood
* Athena Frentzas
* Nicholas Geanopoulos
* Michele Gemskie
* Daniel T. Gillespie
* Gregory R. Ginex
* Steven J. Goebel
* Renee G. Goldfarb
* Joel L. Greenblatt
* Maxwell Griffin, Jr.
* David E. Haracz
* Donald R. Havis
* Patrick Heneghan
* Thomas J. Hennelly
* Arthur F. Hill, Jr.
* Stanley L. Hill
* Earl B. Hoffenberg
* Michael James Hood
* John L. Huff
* Bridget J. Hughes
* Colleen A. Hyland
* John J. Hynes
* Lakshmi Jha
* Lana C. Johnson
* Moira Susan Johnson
* Timothy J. Joyce
* Michael J. Kane
* Sharon Kanter
* James N. Karahalios
* Carol A. Kipperman
* Demetrios Kottaras
* Joan M. Kubalanza
* Maria Kuriakos Ciesil
* Kevin Thomas Lee
* James B. Linn
* Mark J. Lopez
* Thaddeus S. Machnik
* Alfredo Maldonado
* Edward Maloney
* Ellen Beth Mandeltort
* Marcia Maras
* Patricia Mendoza
* Mary R. Minella
* Martin P. Moltz
* Thomas R. Mulroy
* Scott Norris
* James M. Obbish
* Marcia B. Orr
* Michael F. Otto
* Donald D. Panarese, Jr.
* Joseph D. Panarese
* Kathleen Ann Panozzo
* Michael Pattarozzi
* Linda Johanna Pauel
* Alfred J. Paul
* Angela M. Petrone
* Michele M. Pitman
* Mary Planey
* Brian Porter
* Carolyn Quinn
* Mariano Reyna
* Jeanne M. Reynolds
* Elizabeth Loredo-Rivera
* Steven Jay Rosenblum
* Stanley J. Sacks
* Pamela Saindon
* Bernard J. Sarley
* Naomi H. Schuster
* Joseph M. Sconza
* Robert E. Senechalle, Jr.
* Terrence V. Sharkey
* Darryl B. Simko
* David A. Skryd
* James E. Snyder
* Domenica A. Stephenson
* Richard A. Stevens
* Sybil C. Thomas
* Natosha Toller
* Mary S. Trew
* John Tully
* Scott Tzinberg
* Gregory P. Vazquez
* Peter J. Vilkelis
* Steven M. Wagner
* Neera Walsh
* Jeffrey L. Warnick
* John Wilson
* Lauretta Higgins Wolfson
* Leon Wool[2]

## Former judges[edit]

* Nancy Arnold
* Mark J. Ballard
* Frederick H. Bates
* Carole Bellows
* Helaine L. Berger
* Paul Biebel
* Adam D. Bourgeois, Jr.
* Yolande M. Bourgeois
* Margaret Brennan
* Michael Brown
* John Patrick Callahan, Jr.
* George Canellis Jr.
* Frank B. Castiglione
* Cheryl D. Cesario
* Vincenzo Chimera
* Robert J. Clifford
* Jean Margaret Cocozza
* Susan M. Coleman
* Maureen Connors
* Richard Cooke
* Matthew Coghlan
* Lisa R. Curcio
* Noreen M. Daly
* Maureen F. Delehanty
* Richard Elrod
* James Derico Jr.
* Geraldine D'Souza
* Eulalia DeLaRosa
* Jerry Esrig
* James P. Etchingham
* Maureen P. Feerick
* Fé Fernandez
* Nicholas Ford
* Raymond Funderburk
* Vincent Gaughan
* Mohammed Ghouse
* Joyce Marie Murphy Gorman
* Russell Hartigan
* Rosemary Grant Higgins
* Thomas V. Gainer, Jr.
* Pamela Hughes Gillespie
* Susan Fox-Gillis
* William E. Gomolinski
* Diane Gordon-Cannon
* Susan Ruscitti-Grussel
* William Haddad
* Thomas L. Hogan
* Michael Howlett
* Michael Hyman
* Cheyrl Ingram
* William R. Jackson, Jr.
* Marilyn Johnson
* Robert Wade Johnson
* Sidney A. Jones, III
* Michelle Jordan
* James L. Kaplan
* Elizabeth Karkula
* Nancy J. Katz
* Stuart P. Katz
* Lynne Kawamoto
* Geary W. Kull
* Diane Larsen
* Yehuda Lebovits
* Pamela Leeming
* Alfred L. Levinson
* Neil J. Linehan
* Patricia M. Logue
* Noreen Love
* Patrick F. Lustig
* Freddrenna Lyle
* Daniel Lynch
* Themis Karnezis
* Randye A. Kogan
* William Maddux
* Kerrie Maloney Laytin
* Marc Martin
* Mary Anne Mason
* James P. McCarthy
* Brigid Mary McGrath
* Kathleen McGury
* Martha Mills
* Daniel R. Miranda
* Raymond W. Mitchell
* Leonard Murray
* Raymond Myles
* Rita M. Novak
* Gregory M. O'Brien
* Jessica A. O'Brien
* Joan O'Brien
* Patrick O'Brien
* Thomas J. O'Hara
* Michael R. Panter
* Dan Patlak
* Sebastian Patti
* Arthur C. Perivolidis
* William G. Pileggi
* Dennis J. Porter
* Lorna E. Propes
* Marguerite Quinn
* Robert Quinn
* William B. Raines
* Eve Reilly
* Jesse G. Reyes
* Hyman Riebman
* Edward Robles
* Thomas Roti
* Jean M. Prendergast Rooney
* Richard D. Schwind
* Douglas J. Simpson
* Colleen Sheehan
* Kevin Sheehan
* Cara Smith
* Terence B. Smith
* Daniel Sullivan
* James E. Sullivan
* Marita Sullivan
* Sharon Sullivan
* Alfred M. Swanson, Jr.
* Rhoda Sweeney
* Elmer J. Tolmaire III
* Michael Toomin[2]
* John D. Tourtelot
* Thomas M. Tucker
* Franklin U. Valderrama
* Richard Walsh
* Alexander White
* Lori M. Wolfson
* James A. Zafiratos

## Operation Greylord[edit]

In the 1980s, the Cook County Circuit Court was probed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Operation Greylord. Allegations of corruption in the court ranged from fixing drunk driving cases to felony charges. A lawyer was caught on tape bragging that "even a murder case can be fixed if the judge is given something to hang his hat on."[3]

By the end of the probe, nearly 100 people, including lawyers, police officers, court clerks, sheriff's deputies, and 17 judges were indicted, and all but a handful were convicted. Of the judges indicted, 15 were convicted of corruption charges, including Judge Richard LeFevour who was sentenced to twelve years in prison for taking bribes to fix traffic cases.[3]

## See also[edit]

* Cook County, Illinois
* Courts in Illinois
* Illinois counties
* Illinois Cook Judicial Circuit Court Subcircuits

## External links[edit]

* Illinois Courts, "Judges of the Cook Judicial Circuit"

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 State of Illinois: Circuit Court of Cook County, "Office of the Chief Judge," accessed December 28, 2014
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The State of Illinois, "Judges of the Cook Judicial Circuit," accessed December 28, 2014
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chicago Tribune, "Operation Greylord," August 5, 1983

Illinois courts

* * *

Federal courts:

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois

State courts:

Illinois Supreme Court • Illinois Appellate Court • Illinois Circuit Court

State resources:

Courts in Illinois • Illinois judicial elections • Judicial selection in Illinois

# Elections[edit]

See also: Illinois judicial elections

Illinois is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Illinois, click here.

* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2025
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2024
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2023
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2022
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2021
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2020
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2019
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2018
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2017
* Illinois local trial court judicial elections, 2016
* Illinois judicial elections, 2014
* Illinois judicial elections, 2012
* Illinois judicial elections, 2010

## Selection method[edit]

See also: Partisan elections

There are 513 judges on the Illinois Circuit Court, each elected in partisan elections to six-year terms. Upon the completion of these terms, judges who wish to continue serving must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections.[1]

The chief judge of each circuit court is selected by peer vote; he or she serves in that capacity indefinitely.[1]

The circuit courts are also served by 391 associate judges, who are limited in that they may not preside over cases in which the defendant is charged with a felony (an offense punishable by one or more years in prison). Associate judges are appointed to four-year terms by circuit judges.[2][1]

Midterm vacancies are filled by Illinois Supreme Court appointment.[1]

Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[1]

* a U.S. citizen;
* a circuit/county resident; and
* licensed to practice law in Illinois.

## Election rules[edit]

### Primary election[edit]

The general primary occurs on the third Tuesday in March.[3] Unlike many states with contested judicial elections, races in Illinois are regularly contested, often with several candidates running for a seat. The Illinois primary is closed, meaning that voters must declare which major political party's ballot they wish to vote on.[4]

The candidate that wins the most votes in the primary advances to the general election to compete against the candidate from the other party.[3] If only one party has candidates in a primary race, that winner will continue on to run unopposed in the general election.[5] Uncontested primary candidates are not included on the primary ballot but instead automatically advance to the general election.[3][6]

### General election[edit]

The general election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.[3]

### Retention election[edit]

At the expiration of their term, judges may run for retention. Judges seeking retention are required to file a declaration of candidacy to succeed themselves with the secretary of state at least six months prior to the general election. The names of judges seeking retention are then given to voters on a special judicial ballot—without party designation and without an opposing candidate—featuring the sole question of whether he or she should be retained for another term in office.[7] Retention elections are held along with the general elections in the specific district or circuit where the judge is seeking retention. To be retained, judges must receive three-fifths of the vote.[8]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Illinois," archived October 2, 2014
2. ↑ State of Illinois, "About the Courts in Illinois," accessed June 30, 2014
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Voting on Election Day," accessed January 25, 2016
4. ↑ Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago, "2014 Primary: Frequently Asked Questions," accessed March 12, 2014
5. ↑ The News-Gazette, "John Roska: Judicial elections explained," March 9, 2014
6. ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "Unopposed Candidates Find Waiting The Primary Concern," February 3, 1992, accessed March 7, 2014
7. ↑ The Illinois Courts, "About the Courts in Illinois," accessed March 10, 2014
8. ↑ Illinois Constitution, Article VI, Section 12 (d)