He has been a guest lecturer at local law schools and on Supreme Court and Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts committees. Judge David Yaffee. Potential damages from such actions could amount to $1,000-$5,000 per violation, which some legal observers have asserted could be defined as each time an employee scans their fingerprint. All attorneys contacted praised her legal knowledge and ability, thoroughness, sensitivity, temperament, and integrity. The lawsuits have typically focused on provisions in the BIPA law allegedly requiring companies to get express permission from someone and providing written notices before scanning a persons biometric identifiers, such as their fingerprints, facial geometry or retinal structure. Under her proposal, judges who were found qualified would have automatically received another term, while those who were found not qualified would have faced a public retention vote. And Illinois has historically been resistant to changing the way that judges are evaluated and selected, potentially dooming efforts to improve the ratings process. Prior to his appointment, he had worked as an assistant states attorney, for First National Bank and Chapman and Cutler. Each judge has to garner at least 60% of the vote to stay on the bench. The Committee finds Diana Lpez qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Attorneys reported that he is very bright with excellent legal knowledge, gives clear rulings, is sensitive to all, and has high integrity. He was a private practitioner who focused on local government and election law. Lifetime Achievement Award , and the Northwest Suburban Bar Association has named a scholarship in his honor. Has been a speaker on legal topics and is a member of various bar associations. Smolletts hoax backfired when the two alleged racist and homophobic thugs turned out to be people he allegedly recruited to stage the assault. He was described as being very fair, with high integrity, organization, and diligence, particularly praising how smooth his courtroom has run during Covid. In this case the court ruled for the re-enslavement of Dred Scott, a Black man and former slave from Missouri who claimed to be free. Hon. He is highly respected for his clear reasoning, his good solid writing and hard work. The Committee finds Viviana Martinez not qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Attorneys and judges reported that he writes well and has excellent research skills, is sensitive to diversity and even keeled. WASHINGTON The Biden administration is preparing for a worst-case scenario if a conservative federal judge rules in favor of a lawsuit seeking to restrict access to one of the two drugs typically used to induce a medicated abortion.Two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, can be taken by women at home and are used for just over half of U.S. abortions. Library of the U.S. Courts of the Seventh Circuit. From 1990 to 2016, 99% of the Colorado judges who received positive recommendations kept their seats, while only 64% of judges with negative ratings stayed on the bench, according to a state report. The former NFL running back plead guilty to attacking Kristin Evans, the mother of his child, in mid-August 2021, when he allegedly became angry over . Their decisions . Multiple attorneys described him as being very smart and intelligent, with excellent legal knowledge and ability, and as being professional, impartial, and patient. He has both civil and criminal jury and bench experience, has handled appeals, and litigated other motions and restraining orders in both federal and state courts. Attorneys praised his legal knowledge and ability, his sensitivity, and efficiency in running his courtroom, especially during the transition to zoom hearings. His initial assignment was in First Municipal. Prior to the appointment, he had been serving as an associate judge since 2003 in First Municipal, Domestic Relations, Law Division, and Chancery. Illinois is home to one of the worst pension crises in the country.1 At 39% funded, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts, Illinois has the worst pension funding ratio of any state.2 . Editor's note: The Record publications are owned by the Institute for Legal Reform. Dorothea Renee Jackson has been licensed since 2006. There are four Cook County Judges seeking retention who have the worst records when it comes to having their rulings reserved by the Appellate Court. Lisa Taylor has been licensed since 2001. He has taught, written, and spoken on legal topics, and served as an adjunct professor at John Marshall Law School. But this November, that 53-year string [] Her first assignment was in First Municipal. He is a past member of the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association, and also a past committee member and board member of the Cook County Bar Association. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. He has been assigned to Criminal Division since October 2017; since October 2021 he has presided over a felony call after previously serving in the Pre-Trial Division. Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts . She was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2015 and elected in 2016. Ms. Bhandari has extensive criminal jury and bench trial experience. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. At Large judges are elected from the entire circuit, including from all of Cook County. Kelly Marie McCarthy - Cook County . Hon. The Committee finds David L. Kelly qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. By Injustice Watch Staff | November 22, 2015. Thats not easy to do, but it should be done more often. Commencing October 26, 2022, Justice Theis will begin serving a three-year term as Chief Justice succeeding Justice Anne M. Burke. Then after an initial two-year trial period and at the end of each subsequent term voters decide whether a judge should be retained. Ms. Ryan reports that she has tried eight civil jury trials. It should come as no surprise to Illinois voters that as it comes time to elect new judges to the Illinois Supreme Court, that Democrats would nominate two candidates with deep financial ties to former Speaker of the Illinois House Mike Madigan and Chicago machine politics. After working in private practice and representing the 6th Ward in the Chicago City Council for thirteen years, she was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2011, re-appointed in 2014, then elected in 2016. In Illinois, circuit court judges are elected to the bench. He also speaks on legal topics and was an adjunct professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law. She is past president of the Illinois Judicial Council, a former board member of the Illinois Judges Association and has been chair of various committees of the Cook County Bar Association. Attorneys gave favorable comments about his knowledge of the law in the areas he currently handles, and stated that he is even-tempered, efficient, and reasonable. She was an assistant states attorney from 1993 until 2018. Unfortunately, they're going to be around long after Trump departs the White House on January 20, but that's no reason not to document the top five worst Trump appointees thus far. Under the BIPA law, plaintiffs and their lawyers have filed more than 300 lawsuits in the last two years accusing employers of technical violations of the law. In interviews with the judges, the commissions discuss their findings and ask them to address issues raised in the evaluations. She serves on the Boards of the Catholic Lawyers Guild and the Illinois Judicial Foundation. The Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, the Illinois State Bar Association and other bar groups perform a valuable public service by screening and rating judicial candidates. He was subsequently elected to the Appellate Court in 2012. On Sept. 18, the U.S. Chambers Institute for Legal Reform released its 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey: Ranking the Statesreport. But critics, including Nes, say the evaluations fall short, noting how few judges over the years have received negative ratings, let alone get bounced from the bench by voters. Attorneys describe him as having an encyclopedic knowledge of substantive law, unflappable, always prepared, and a straight shooter. He is a former officer of the Alliance of Illinois Judges. She is considered to have excellent legal knowledge, and to be organized, knowledgeable, and balanced. Remarkably, the Cook County Democratic Party which routinely urges a yes vote on all Democratic judicial candidates, regardless of performance is recommending a no vote on Coghlan. Hooks is rated positively by all major Illinois bar groups except the Illinois State Bar Association. During the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, she released videos of her reading childrens' books since she couldn't visit classrooms in person, something she regularly did. Attorneys appearing before her and colleagues remarked that she is a hard worker who understands the legal issues well, and treats all with respect, though sometimes her conferences tend to run long due to allowing both parties a lot of time, in an effort to be fair and make sure both sides are heard. List bad judges and publish your own judicial misconduct complaints about unethical judicial officers that violate their obligations to be fair and impartial. Hon. Hon. Others critical of how judges are elected or retained in Illinois say the evaluations ignore the voice of the larger community and have an inherent conflict of interest by relying on primarily lawyers opinions. Illinois had the third most federal criminal convictions for public corruption between 1976 and 2012, behind New York and California.A study published by the University of Illinois Chicago in 2022 ranked Illinois as the second . Former Deputy Treasurer of Cook County of Illinois. Hon. Before being appointed to the bench, she had tried a considerable number of civil bench trials. She has been the co-chairperson of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice Forms Committee, and a committee chair for the Illinois Judges Association, as well as a speaker. More than a decade ago, Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, a nonprofit that is also led by Rich, undertook a pilot project launching a commission to conduct rigorous, research-based evaluations of judicial performance. She was named an associate judge in 2007, retained in 2011 and 2015. Aileen Bhandari was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2002. They say he is not a good judge, but I think the truth is far more political. Hon. He is active with other judicial organizations and has lectured on legal topics and taught at Loyola. The survey, conducted by Harris Poll, posed a series of questions to what the report said was a national sample of more than 1,300 in-house general counsel, senior litigators or attorneys, and other senior executives at companies with at least $100 million in annual revenue. All of the survey respondents were identified as executives or attorneys knowledgeable about litigation matters and who have firsthand, recent litigation experience within the last five years in each state they evaluate.. We also evaluate sitting Cook County Circuit Court judges seeking retention. Survey respondents ranked the legal systems of Florida, Mississippi, California and Louisiana 46th-49th, respectively. He was a career assistant public defender who recently retired from that office. She was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2014 and elected in 2016 after a career as a prosecutor. The Seed Court is a diversion court for defendants between 18-26 charged with drug offenses. She is considered to be professional and compassionate. Her assignments included Real Estate Tax Division, Corporate Transactions and Chancery. Since 1966, when a vacancy happens in state court, the governor appoints a judge from a list of two or three candidates recommended by nominating commissions. How are you supposed to cast an informed vote? He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. The organization is headed by Foxxs close political ally. Democrats have long held a 4-3 majority on the court. The report further faulted Illinois lawmakers and its courts for allowing a blizzard of recent legal actions against employers and other companies of all sizes and types under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, even when plaintiffs cant prove they were actually harmed by an alleged violation of the law. Since 2022 she was appointed Deputy General Counsel for Chicago Public Schools, managing attorneys, and drafting CPS contracts. She currently practices with the Conway Law Group. Ruth Isabel Gudino was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1995. Another 9% gave that designation to Madison County. Since 2015 she has been assigned to the Municipal Department in the Second District (Skokie), hearing a variety of cases on a rotating basis. OTHER COURT WEBSITES. She is currently assigned to the Municipal Department - Traffic Section having been appointed as an associate judge in 2017. He was described as calm, patient and sensitive. Carrie E. Hamilton has been licensed since 1996. Thomas J. Maloney was a judge in Cook County, Illinois from 1977 to 1991. The survey was last issued in 2017. The groups investigation raised significant concerns about Judge Marinos work ethic, punctuality, diligence and knowledge of the law. Cook County voters should demand more from a $202,000-a-year employee. Why? Prior to that, he held various other government positions, including as Labor Counsel to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, Legal Counsel to the Assessor, Deputy Director of Labor Relations for the Cook County Board; he also served as an assistant states attorney for several years, and was Deputy Supervisor of Torts and Federal Civil Rights Litigation Unit of the Civil Actions Bureau. He received high praise from attorneys contacted during the investigation for his knowledge, fairness, patience, and diligence. Northern District of Illinois Pretrial Services. Private practitioner who focused on local government and election law considered to have excellent legal,. 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