Suburban, Chicago bar associations offer judicial picks
The Suburban Bar Coalition of Cook County - made up of the Northwest Suburban Bar Association, North Suburban Bar Association, West Suburban Bar Association, Southwest Bar Association and South Suburban Bar Association - released its recommendations on Cook County judges seeking retention in the Nov. 6 election.
For the judges seeking retention countywide, the SBC rated each as recommended or highly recommended. The coalition, whose member organizations represent more than 1,000 attorneys, highly recommended Illinois Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke and appellate court judge Margaret Stanton McBride for retention.
Candidates seeking retention to the appellate and circuit courts must receive at least 60 percent "yes" votes to remain on the bench.
Bar association representatives typically use questionnaires and interviews, including interviews with courtroom personnel, to evaluate judicial candidates on the following criteria: knowledge of the law, fairness, independence, courtroom management and lack of bias.
The Alliance of Bar Associations posted its judicial evaluations at VoteforJudges.org.
The website lists evaluations from the following: the Asian-American Bar Association of the Greater Chicago Area (AABA); Black Women Lawyers' Association of Greater Chicago (BWLA); Chicago Council of Lawyers (CCL); Cook County Bar Association (CCBA); Decalogue Society of Lawyers (DSL); Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois (HBA); Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois (HLAI); Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA); Lesbian and Gay Bar Association (LAGBAC); Puerto Rican Bar Association (PRBA); and the Women's Bar Association (WBAI).