On November 6, 2018 voters will be voting for multiple candidates nationwide. In Illinois, and specifically in Cook County, which encompasses Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, voters will also be deciding the career fates of multiple judges. A handful of judicial races will be on the ballot. Very few of these races are contested. At the end of the ballot, just over 60 judges names will appear asking the voters to vote “Yes” to retain them for another 6 year term or “No’ to kick them off of the bench. In past elections, this was a mere formality. In this election, a number of forces have targeted a few judges for a “No” vote. Specifically, one judge has been the subject of an intense campaign to unseat him. Using social media and with the help of the Cook County Democratic Party, this is an all out press to remove this judge. The basis for this attack is the judge being named as a defendant in a civil rights lawsuit from conduct as a prosecutor, long before his 18 year career on the bench. These allegations, while serious, have not been proven. Thus, the allegations at the core of this effort have yet to be tested in court. There is little to no, allegations of his conduct during his 18 years as a judge. When the votes are counted, we will see if this judge survives these efforts. The larger question is what happens to the independence of the judiciary going forward. Politicians have been attacking the judiciary, calling judges corrupt when faced with unfavorable rulings. The hearings to confirm Justice Kavanaugh damaged the appearance of the Supreme Court and exposed a level of partisanship that is shameful.
Vita in Lega