Cook County judges keep same leader

Circuit Court of Cook County Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans survived a challenge to retain the office he has held for nine years.

Cook County's 268 elected judges voted Monday afternoon at the Daley Center in Chicago to choose the chief judge. Associate judges do not vote.

Elected to the office of chief judge in 2001, Evans has not faced an opponent in two previous elections. This year, he faced a challenge from Judge William Maddux, presiding judge of the Law Division, whom Evans appointed to the position.

Several years ago, Maddux, now 75, challenged an Illinois law requiring judges to retire at age 75. The Illinois Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional last year.

Evans, a former litigator-turned-Chicago alderman who served four years as floor leader for Mayor Harold Washington, was elected to the bench in 1992. He subsequently presided over the Domestic Relations and Law divisions before his election to the office of chief judge.