She is considered to be professional, courteous and to have high ethical standards. Author John Seasly explains A reversal means an appeals court decided a judge was wrong and overturned all or part of a ruling. The average number of reversals for a judge is four, he writes. This year, Justice Mary Jane Theis one of the three Illinois Supreme Court judges from the 1st District is up for retention. A stress fracture in his shin. Famous for the mob attorney scandal judicial dishonesty is an epidemic. All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Stymied by all those unfamiliar names at the bottom of your ballot? InjusticeWatch, a non-political organization that I respect, concluded in an assessment, Demacopoulos has had 14 decisions reversed by higher courts since 2014, among the most of any of the judges running for retention this year., Hanah Jubeh, spokeswoman for Committee for Retentionof Judges in Cook County, responded,Comparing the single number of reversals is not reflective of thequality of the judge. Sandra Gisela Ramos has been licensed since 1986. The commissioners interview each judge seeking retention in their district. They say he is not a good judge, but I think the truth is far more political. He has taught at Roosevelt University, been active on committees with the Chicago Bar Association and the Northwest Suburban Bar Association and assisted military families with tax preparation through a pro bono program. She is a past president of the Illinois Judges Association, the Illinois Bar Foundation and the Womens Bar Association and served as a section chair for the Illinois State Bar Association. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. He is highly respected for his clear reasoning, his good solid writing and hard work. Hon. #10 Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall, UFC on FX 2 - March 2nd, 2012 The judges robbed Ian McCall of a win over Demetrious Johnson She is a past president of the Appellate Lawyers Association, the Illinois Judges Association, and the Illinois Judges Foundation. She is currently assigned to the Law Division Trial Section, after a previous assignment in Child Protection. She is a past president of the Illinois Latino Judges Association and has been a speaker on legal topics. Injustice Watch's nonpartisan guide to the November 2022 Cook County judicial elections. The Committee finds Elizabeth Ryan qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. The ISBA finds Judge Eve Marie Reilly recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Attorneys praised his legal knowledge and ability, his sensitivity, and efficiency in running his courtroom, especially during the transition to zoom hearings. Prior to starting her firm in 2019 she worked in a general practice with Barrett and Sramek from 1991 to 2018. Robert Balanoff has been licensed since 1982. Attorneys contacted reported that he knows the law, is thorough, and has a great grasp of evidentiary issues and that his written opinions are excellent. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2015 and retained in 2016. He also received positive comments on his temperament, diligence, impartiality, and integrity. On Sept. 18, the U.S. Chambers Institute for Legal Reform released its 2019 Lawsuit Climate Survey: Ranking the Statesreport. Aileen Bhandari was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2002. We should hold judges up to a higher standard, a standard they frequently use to judge everyone else. While attorneys agreed that she knows the law, writes well thought out opinions and is hard-working, substantial concerns were raised about her judicial temperament and demeanor. She is a member of various bar associations, and a past board members of the Puerto Rican Bar Association. Cook County Circuit Judge Matthew Coghlan has come under scrutiny for his alleged role as a prosecutor in the wrongful convictions of Armando Serrano and Jose Montanez for a 1993 slaying. He has served as presiding judge of the Second Division. After initially serving in Traffic Court, she then served in the Elder Law Division from 2013 until 2015. He previously worked for several agencies included the Legal Assistance Foundation and is a mediator and arbitrator. The vast majority of attorneys described him as being smart and knowledgeable with an inclusive approach and high integrity. She is described as being professional, fair, efficient, and even-tempered. That means it only takes 40 percent NO vote to remove them from the Bench. We asked an expert to explain them. He currently serves as the Presiding Judge in the Probate Division, after being appointed Acting Presiding Judge in 2019. She was a litigation attorney until selected as an associate judge in 1988, serving in First Municipal, Traffic Court, Domestic Violence Court, and the Fifth District (Bridgeview). He is currently assigned to the Juvenile Justice Division, with a dual assignment to the First Municipal Division Supporting Education and Employment Development (SEED) Court. She has been active with various bar associations, including serving as treasurer of the Indian American Bar Association, has spoken on various legal issues, works on diversity issues with the Sates Attorneys Office, and helped organize a naturalization drive. Hon. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. I know they are as political as Chicago Ward Organizations. Delaware, for instance, claimed the top spot as the best and most fair legal system in the country, thanks to its crackdown on meritless securities class action litigation, high quality judges and its predictable and stable legal environment.. Judge Thomas Else is Literally the worst most unfair bias considering judge I have ever encountered. The ISBA finds Justice Terrence J. Lavin recommended for retention to the Illinois Appellate Court First District. Now you can read The Washington Post e-Replica anytime, anywhere. According to the report, those surveyed indicated the litigation environment in the U.S. has generally improved in 2019, as it has each year since the survey was first issued in 2002. Her assignments included Real Estate Tax Division, Corporate Transactions and Chancery. While they have taken aim at tech and social media giants, such as Facebook and Google, these lawsuits have particularly targeted employers for making employees scan their fingerprints on so-called biometric time clocks to verify their identity when punching in and out of work shifts or accessing secure areas, like drug storage closets. He is considered to have high integrity with a good temperament. Hon. The Committee finds David L. Kelly qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. 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. In interviews with the judges, the commissions discuss their findings and ask them to address issues raised in the evaluations. In an interview, Cassidy said the bill failed to gain traction, citing opposition from Cook County Democratic Party leaders and concerns among bar associations of lawyers from underrepresented groups about its potential to harm diversity on the bench. Bar association evaluations are a volunteer effort that have to be conducted in a relatively short period of time, Rich told Injustice Watch leading up to the last general election. Corruption in Illinois has been a problem from the earliest history of the state. Judge David Yaffee. He also serves as an appointed guardian ad litem and has taught at The John Marshall Law School. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. Attorneys reported that she is well-regarded and respected for her extensive legal knowledge and experience. 2002, Illinois ranked No. The Worst Shameless Lawyers/Liars in Illinois. She was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. He was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2008, elected in 2010 and retained in 2016. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 1998 and retained in 2004, 2010 and 2016. Most people dont. The Committee finds Joe Gump qualified for election to the Circuit Court of Cook County. Illinois also ranked 50th in "Quality of Appellate Review" and 49th in "Juries' Fairness." . He was appointed to the circuit court as a full judge in January 2021 and is currently the Presiding Judge of the County Division. Multiple attorneys described him as being very smart and intelligent, with excellent legal knowledge and ability, and as being professional, impartial, and patient. He is assigned to the Criminal Division where he presides over a felony trial call as well as the specialized drug court program at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. Iris Y. Chavira declined to participate in the judicial evaluation process. Hon. She has received various awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Illinois Judges Association, the Mary Heftel Hooton Award from the Womens Bar Association, the Access to Justice Award from the Illinois State Bar Association, and the John Paul Stevens Award from the Chicago Bar Association. On Feb. 28, 1991, 17-year-old Robert Saleem Holbrook sat before a judge in a . Click on one of the cities below to see detailed information about the hearing office and the administrative law judges (ALJ) that work there. Lawyers report that he has a thorough understanding of the legal process with excellent legal knowledge, and his written opinions are thorough and well-researched. Hon. After being elected to the Circuit Court in 1994, and retained in 2000 and 2006, where she served in Probate Court, she was appointed to the Appellate Court, First District, in 2010, and then elected in 2012. Attorneys reported that she is fair minded, hard-working, professional, and diligent. In January 2019 he returned to the Criminal Division. Prior to this he served as an assistant states attorney until 2006 when he opened his own general practice focusing on criminal defense and real estate. She also served for three years as an assistant states attorney before entering private practice. In the 32nd year of her legal career and a judge for the last . But they are not like everyday candidates even though they are candidates on our election ballot. Polito retired from the bench in July this year and is now collecting a monthly pension of $6,415.78. Most attorneys reported that he has good legal knowledge in his current assignment and is sensitive to the many pro se litigants who appear before him and stated that he is efficient in getting cases resolved. After a career as a United States Attorney, including as Deputy Chief of the Public Corruption Section, she was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2015 and elected in 2016. Why? Hon. They say she is professional, diligent, organized, and prepared, with an excellent temperament. He has been on the Board of Chicagos Theological Seminary and Claremont McKenna College and was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award by Claremont McKenna in 2019. She was appointed to the Circuit Court in 2014 and elected in 2016. He is a member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Education, and also served on the Courts Committee on Judicial Performance for six years. Toomin is being targeted because in August 2019, he appointed the special prosecutor who exposed Foxxs pathetic political and racial decision to not prosecute Jussie Smollett, the actor who, on Jan. 29, 2019, allegedly faked up a homophobic and racist attack against himself to build up sympathy to improve Hollywood notoriety. The ISBA finds Judge Susana L. Ortiz recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. He was elected to the Circuit Court in 2016. That could mean total damages could quickly climb into the millions or even billions of dollars, depending on the size of the company. He worked as an assistant corporation counsel for the city of Chicago and then as City Attorney for DesPlaines until 1989. This page is designed to be viewable on your phone, but a printable summary of the ratings is also available. Circuit Court of Appeals, who specialized in representing oil and gas industry interests as an attorney in Houston and was appointed to . Here are the 10 worst robberies in UFC history. . Hon. Judge Candace J. Beason. Charles Patrick Burns has been licensed since 1981. The ISBA finds Judge Matthew Link recommended for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. The ISBA finds Judge Bonita Coleman qualified for retention to the Cook County Circuit Court. Williams B. Sullivan was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1992. He is currently assigned to the Pre-Trial Division at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse. Wagner said most people dont know a lot about the judges running for retention. She is well-respect by attorneys and judges for her legal knowledge, integrity, judicial demeanor, and preparation. Hon. Attorneys reported that he knows civil procedure and runs a very tight and efficient court. She is the president of the Illinois Latino Judges Association and has been a Board member of the Hispanic Lawyers Association and the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Lawyers, and a committee member with the Illinois State Bar Association and the Womens Bar Association. Kevin Michael ODonnell has been licensed since 1988. The Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, a coalition of advocates and organizations working to remake the criminal legal system, publishes a voter guide with the help of former incarcerated people and others impacted by the court system as survey scorers. Commencing October 26, 2022, Justice Theis will begin serving a three-year term as Chief Justice succeeding Justice Anne M. Burke. That all led to two vacancies on the ballot this year for the newly drawn Second and Third Districts in Chicago's suburban counties. Why so much emphasis in Illinois on protecting criminals? I have disagreed with some judges that I liked, too. Investigators then interview lawyers and judges who have worked with them, including opposing counsel from trials or cases. When a judge makes a ruling, we cant call her friends and pals and complain, the way she can through hired political guns like Hanah Jubeh who represents many of the judges and who was named in 2015 by Crains as one of the states 20 most powerful political influencers. The results were made public and shared with judges, their supervising judges, and Cook Countys chief judge as well as with bar associations for use in their evaluations. He is always prepared and issues thorough and well-reasoned opinions. Kim said the results of the survey should be a wake-up call to policymakers, saying any states economic growth and prosperity depend in large part on the fairness and predictability of its legal system.. Issues were raised about the court systems response to the pandemic, with some saying the transition to virtual hearings was not well-handled at first, while others saying that it was handled well under the circumstances. This year, 59 Cook County Circuit Court judges are seeking retention. He has spoken on legal topics and monitors election in Eastern Europe as part of the International Election Observation Mission. The old Congress is going out so it's time to review the worst people who are now federal judgesfor life. While Rich acknowledged the limitations of bar association ratings, he said he strongly thinks that they give voters a solid starting point for deciding whether a judge should be retained in office. In 2017 she joined Schwartz Gilligan where she focuses on general tort defense and insurance coverage litigation, with some probate practice. Other states, such as Colorado, have public commissions comprising lawyers and nonlawyers who evaluate judges performance. He is also known to be impartial, ethical, and diligent. Any list of terrible Supreme Court justices that does not begin with Chief Justice Roger Taney will inherently be controversial. 232: Judge Matthew Coghlan also was rated not qualified by the Council of Lawyers, which cited a case in which the Appellate Court twice overturned his decision not to grant a rehearing for a defendant who said hed confessed to murder after being tortured by detectives working for disgraced Chicago police Lt. Jon Burge. Alison C. Conlon has been licensed since 2000. Thomas Kelley has been licensed since 1984. Since 2011 she has been a solo practitioner handling mainly personal injury matters. 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