Judicial Evaluations Available Now for the 2024 General Election: The Chicago Council of Lawyers Finds 4 Judges Not Qualified and 12 Judges Well Qualified
The Chicago Council of Lawyers has released our recommendations for the judicial retention ballot in the November 2024 general election. The Committee to Elect Qualified Judges’ sample ballot is also available for download.
We evaluate candidates on whether they have demonstrated the ability to serve on the court in the following categories: (1) fairness, including sensitivity to diversity and bias; (2) legal knowledge and skills (competence); (3) integrity; (4) experience; (5) diligence; (6) impartiality; (7) judicial temperament; (8) respect for the rule of law; (9) independence from political and institutional influences; (10) professional conduct; (11) character, and (12) community service.
If a candidate has demonstrated the ability to perform the work required of a judge in all of these areas, the Council assigns a rating of Qualified. If a candidate has demonstrated excellence in most of these areas, the Council assigns a rating of Well Qualified. If a candidate has demonstrated excellence in all of these areas, the Council assigns a rating of Highly Qualified. If a candidate has not demonstrated that they meet all of the criteria evaluated by the Council, the Council assigns a rating of Not Qualified. Likewise, if a judge refuses to participate in the evaluation process, the Council finds them Not Recommended.
This year, we have found the majority of retention candidates Qualified for retention. We have found twelve judges Well Qualified for retention and four judges Not Qualified for retention. All judges participated in the evaluation process.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers Recommends Voting No for the Retention of Four Judges
The CCL has found four judges not recommended for retention. In ballot order they are:
- Hon. Kathy M. Flanagan
- Hon. Lisa A. Marino
- Hon. Ieshia Eshale Gray
- Hon. Shannon P. O’Malley
Concerns about the judicial temperament of Judge Flanangan and Judge Gray lead the CCL to find them Not Qualified for retention. Similarly, concerns about judicial temperament and courtroom management prompted us to rate Judge Marino Not Qualified for retention. We have rated Judge S. P. O’Malley Not Qualified for retention over concerns about his courtroom management and legal knowledge.
Our full evaluation of each judge is available in our 2024 Judicial Evaluation Report.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers Finds 12 Judges Well Qualified
Based on the criteria explained above, we have found twelve judges Well Qualified for retention. In ballot order they are:
- Hon. Thomas Hoffman
- Hon. Stuart Fredric Lubin
- Hon. Carol M. Howard
- Hon. Regina Scannicchio
- Hon. Aicha Marie MacCarthy
- Hon. Michael T. Mullen
- Hon. Kent Delgado
- Hon. David R. Navarro
- Hon. Tiana Ellis Blakely
- Hon. Scott D. McKenna
- Hon. Erika Lynn Orr
- Hon. Athanasios (Tom) S. Sianis
Special Note on Questions about Residency Requirements
Early last week, Injustice Watch reported on questions about whether Judge Shannon P. O’Malley and Judge E. Kenneth Wright, Jr. meet the residency requirements to retain their seats on the Cook County Circuit Court.
We are finding Judge Wright Qualified for retention. Judge Wright promptly participated in an investigation and interview process conducted by the Alliance of Bar Associations into the questions raised about his residency. Judge Wright was claiming his primary residence as an address in Cook County, while receiving a senior homestead exemption on a property he owns in Will County. We understand that he has corrected the tax exemption status. Judge Wright’s forthright handling of the matter, coupled with a strong history of professionalism on the bench, leads us to find him qualified for retention.
We are finding Judge S.P. O’Malley Not Qualified for retention. The CCL takes no position on the question of Judge O’Malley’s residency because we are recommending against his retention for judicial performance reasons.
Acknowledgements
We’d like to thank the Illinois State Bar Association for managing the Alliance of Bar Associations’ investigation and interview process. We appreciate their work, the work of the Alliance members, and the efforts of the CCL’s own judicial evaluations committee.
The CCL’s judicial evaluations committee is open to all lawyer members in good standing. If you are interested in joining the committee for future evaluations, please contact us at CCL@chicagocouncil.org