You Be the Judge: Ratings for Illinois Judicial Primary Candidates

View Illinois State Bar Associations' judicial ratings by county for March 19's primary election.

Methods ISBA uses to rate candidates

All candidates for Illinois judicial office outside of Cook county who are running in the March 19 primary election have been rated by the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Judicial Evaluations Committee, or in a poll of lawyers conducted by the ISBA. The results were made available February 8 on ISBA's Judicial Elections page.

Candidates seeking election to the supreme court or the appellate court are reviewed in a comprehensive evaluation process. This involves a detailed background investigation by members of the Judicial Evaluations Committee, followed by an in-person interview of the candidate. The Committee then decides whether to rate the candidates outside of Cook county highly recommended, recommended, or not recommended. Ratings based on evaluations are the opinion of the ISBA.

Outside of Cook county, an advisory poll is conducted by email and is sent to all ISBA members in the circuit or district from which a candidate seeks election. Licensed attorneys who are not members of the 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.