Judicial Elections on November 2026 Cook County Ballot
In Cook County we have two separate types of judicial election in the current cycle. Two main sources assess candidates for judgeships: the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening and Injustice Watch. The Alliance’s ratings table (https://www.isba.org/judicial-elections/reports/alliance) is by far the more accessible source.
The Alliance’s members have six possible ratings to award candidates: “Highly Qualified,” “Highly Recommended,” “Qualified,” “Recommended,” “Not Qualified,” and “Not Recommended.”
If you are concerned about any member association’s ratings, contact that association for clarification.
In most instances, the judicial elections (as opposed to retention votes) have only one candidate. Your vote simply provides your personal approval.
Elections to Fill Court Vacancies: Illinois Appellate Court
The Illinois Appellate Court had a single vacancy, the Thomas E. Hoffman vacancy, for which the primary election returned a single candidate, Judith C. Rice, rated acceptable by all Alliance member bars.
Elections to Fill Court Vacancies – Circuit Court, Countywide
You will vote to fill all of these vacancies.
In the Kathleen Marie Burke Vacancy, Stephen Q. McKenzie received 1 Not Recommended rating by Chicago’s LGBTQ+ Bar Association.
In the Cobbs, Coghlan, Hooks and Karkula vacancies, the single candidates receive approval
Elections to Fill Court Vacancies – Cook County Subcircuits
You will vote only to fill the vacancy or vacancies in the subcircuit in which you reside.
1st Subcircuit: Candidates Ward (Balanoff vacancy) and Shambley (Walker vacancy) receive approval
3rd Subcircuit:
- Candidate John Carroll (Murphy vacancy) receives approval
- Candidate Rachel Marello (Sherlock vacancy) receives 3 negative ratings (Black Men Lawyer Association, Cook County Bar Association, LGBTQ+ Bar Association).
5th Subcircuit: Candidate Stephanie Kelly (Ross vacancy) receives approval
8th Subcircuit:
- Candidate Kathleen Cunniff Ori (Gamrath vacancy) receives 1 Not Recommended (Cook County Bar Assoc.).
- Candidate Lester Finkle (Mikva vacancy) receives approval
11th Subcircuit: Candidates Jarett Knox (Meyerson vacancy) and Kim Przekota (Roberts vacancy) receive approval
13th Subcircuit:
- Candidate Robert Groebner (Curry vacancy) receives approval
- Candidate Brittany Michelle Pedersen (Martin C. Kelley vacancy) receives 9 negative ratings (out of 13).
- Candidate William F. Kelley (Thomas J. Kelley vacancy) receives approval
- Candidate Dan Naranjo (O’Malley vacancy) receives approval
16th Subcircuit:
- Candidate Julian Sanchez Crozier (Baird vacancy) receives approval
- Candidate Jessica Karina Velez (Mendoza vacancy) receives 7 negative ratings (out of 13).
17th Subcircuit:
- Candidate Natalia Moore (Brooks vacancy) receives Not Recommended ratings across the board.
- Candidate Bianca Brown (Carroll vacancy) receives approval.
18th Subcircuit: Candidates Sam Bae (Andreou vacancy) and Juan Ponce de Leon (Chrones vacancy) receive approval
19th Subcircuit:
- Candidate Sara McGann (Fairman vacancy) receives 1 negative rating (Illinois State Bar Association)
- Candidate Monica Somerville (Kane vacancy) receives 1 negative rating (Illinois State Bar Association)
20th Subcircuit: Candidates Michael J. Zink (Haracz vacancy) and Jon Stromsta (Miller vacancy) receive approval
Retention Elections
Retention elections are different. Judges have to run to retain their judgeships every 10 years. Retaining a seat requires the positive vote of 60% of those voting on a particular judge. Any judge running for retention who receives less than 60% loses the seat on the bench. It’s quite unusual for a judge NOT to be retained, but it has happened.
Judges on the Illinois Appellate Court and on the Circuit and Subcircuit Courts run for retention.
Illinois Appellate Court – 1st District: Judge Bertina E. Lampkin receives approval.
Cook County Circuit Court
Two sitting judges received negative ratings:
- Lorraine Mary Murphy: Two negative ratings (Cook County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association)
- Teisha L. Smith: Six bar associations disapprove (Asian American Bar Association, Decalogue Society of Lawyers, Hellenic Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, LGBTQ+ Bar Association, Puerto Rican Bar Association)
A personal note:
I find it rather troubling that every one of the judges or judge candidates receiving negative ratings are women. I wrote to the Alliance through one of its member associations asking for clarification. Here’s what I said.
Every election season for the past 10 years I’ve advised voters about judicial elections. I’ve historically used the Alliance of Bar Association ratings and have noted both judicial candidates and retention candidates who have received negative ratings of any sort, specifying which member association(s) rendered a negative rating.
For the November 2026 General Election I note that the only candidates for election or retention who have received negative ratings are women. I find it difficult to credit that only women judge candidates or women judges fail to pass muster.
Can the Alliance or its members make sense of this?
Happy voting, friends. I hope this summary helps.
Edmund J. McDevitt
© September 2026