Ratings for Cook County Judges Who Are Up For Retention

The Suburban Bar Coalition of Cook County is comprised of the Northwest Suburban, North Suburban, South Suburban, Southwest Bar, and West Suburban Bar Associations. The mission of the Coalition, which started in 1988, is to investigate and rate Judges who are up for Retention during election cycles. We recognize that Cook County citizens, who are not in a position to know if a particular candidate is qualified to be a judge, want to be educated about judicial candidates, so they can make informed decisions when voting. 

We are a non-partisan, all volunteer group of attorneys from the five Bar Associations committed to providing valuable information to millions of suburban Cook County residents about whether these Judges are qualified to remain on the Bench. The attorneys who volunteer their time to perform the judicial evaluation call hundreds of other attorneys, supervisors, court personnel and litigants who know and practice before these judges seeking their opinions. 

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We proudly share those evaluations with the public on this website, as well as on the individual Bar associations' websites, via the links below. Please also click on the link for a printable sheet to bring with you when you vote. The ratings should not be construed as an endorsement of any particular candidate.

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In addition, the Coalition expanded its jurisdiction in order to help bring court services from Chicago to the suburban courts, including, but not limited to, Domestic Relations and Bar dates, during which attorneys assist unrepresented litigants.

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Qualifications to be Retained

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To be retained, a sitting judge must receive a 60% YES vote on the question: “Shall Judge be Retained?” The ratings are based on Legal Ability, Temperament, Impartiality, and Integrity. The ratings the Coalition provides for the Judges are "Not Recommended," "Recommended," and "Highly Recommended."

For the November 8, 2022 election, the Coalition found all Retention Judges to be "Recommended" or "Highly Recommended" for retention.

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For more information or to print out a full list when going to the polls to vote, please visit:

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Northwest Suburban Bar Association

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North Suburban Bar Association

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Southwest Bar Association

South Suburban Bar Association

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"printable version"

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