Cook County judges running for election and retention, as well as candidates for Illinois judicial offices who won in the March 18 primary election, have been rated by an Illinois State Bar Association evaluations committee. Results are available at www.isba.org/judicialevaluations.

The ISBA Judicial Evaluations Committee for Cook County used the results of a questionnaire, background investigations and in-person interviews to rate candidates for judicial offices.

“Voters often have difficulty learning about the qualifications of candidates for judicial office,” said Richard Felice, of Wheaton, president of the 33,000-member organization. “These independent ratings are based on the views of the candidates’ peers, and I encourage voters to consider them when deciding how to vote on November 4.”

In counties outside Cook, judicial candidates are rated through an advisory poll, which is conducted by mail and sent to all ISBA members in the circuit or district from which a candidate seeks election. Licensed attorneys who are not members of ISBA, or any attorney outside the circuit or district, may request a ballot. Opinions expressed in the poll are of those attorneys who chose to respond and do not reflect the opinion of the Illinois State Bar Association or the opinion of all Illinois attorneys.

The ISBA (www.isba.org), with offices in Springfield and Chicago, provides professional services to Illinois lawyers, and education and services to the public through a website (www.illinoislawyerfinder.com), consumer brochures, and distribution of legal information.