11.30.10 Pro-Bono Opps & Judicial Retention Results
Current Pro Bono Opportunities for the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and the Chicago Council of Lawyers
Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice is a research and advocacy organization focusing on criminal justice reform, judicial election and selection reform, and government effectiveness. We identify problems, research their causes, and recommend systemic solutions.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers is a public interest bar association dedicated to improving the quality of the legal system by advocating for fair and efficient administration of justice in Chicago.
The two organizations often work together to further our mutual goals of reform, accountability, and justice. Together, Chicago Appleseed and the Council comprise a public interest partnership working together through joint projects and publications.
Research and Strategizing under the guidance of Chicago Appleseed staff to:
-Identify community injustices, -Conduct research and interviews of lawyers and other experts; -Serve as a strategist who will help devise systemic solutions and work for their implementation; -Provide 10-15 hours per month for up to six months.
Pro Bono Subject Areas
Research and prepare a report on the state of criminal justice reform in Cook County, including the role of the court in ordering treatment service alternatives to incarceration A comparison of judicial discipline in Illinois versus other states. The potential of our misdemeanor courts: should we employ the concept of community courts in Cook County. For more information on community courts, please visit, www.courtinnovation.org. Judicial selection in Illinois: How do judges get to the bench and how do they maintain their seats on the bench? What are the options available to be used when filling judicial vacancies? A status report: the state of child support collection and enforcement in Illinois Court watching programs:
-Felony trial courtrooms, -Central Bond Court, -Court watching program of the Judicial Performance Commission of Cook County, -Court watching program for the Immigration Court.
Committees State Judicial Evaluation Committee (Chicago Council of Lawyers): Reviews evaluation research of candidates for the state judiciary and for judges seeking retention. Determines evaluation rating and helps prepare evaluation summaries.
Federal Judicial Evaluation Committee (Chicago Council of Lawyers): Reviewing evaluation research of U.S. District Judges and U.S. Magistrate Judges sitting in Chicago. Helps prepare evaluation summaries.
Child and Family Law Committee (Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice). Reviews data, prepares comments, and advocates for changes regarding child and family law.
Civil Liberties Committee (Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice). Reviews data and prepares position statements on national and local issues relating to civil liberties.
Criminal Justice Committee (Chicago Council of Lawyer and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice).
Minimum Continuing Legal Education Committee--MCLE (Chicago Council of Lawyers). Recommends MCLE programs to be sponsored by the Chicago Council of Lawyers.
Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee, including issues related to judicial election, selection, and campaign fundraising (Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice).
For more information and/or to volunteer, please contact:
Malcolm Rich (312-988-6552 or malcolmrich@chicagoappleseed.org) or Elizabeth Monkus (312-988-6599 or emonkus@chicagoappleseed.org)
Judicial Evaluation Results and Future Plans
We would like to thank everyone who utilized www.VoteForJudges.org and the evaluation results of the Chicago Council of Lawyers when it came to voting in the judicial retention races, and in the judicial races to fill judicial vacancies in Cook County.
For 2010, www.VoteForJudges.org received nearly 900,000 requests from prospective voters, and nearly 110,000 pages were downloaded from the site.
In the one contested race, the Democrat, Daniel Gallagher, will become a Cook County Circuit Judge. Of the retention-seeking judges, all were retained. However, there were substantial differences in the percentage of "yes" votes among these judges. We have published below the results of the retention elections that were published in the November 3, 2010 edition of the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
It is important that judges know that the voting public is looking at the published evaluations of their judicial performance and that many vote accordingly. It is also important that the judicial evaluations be utilized in the future in an effort to improve the quality of the Cook County judiciary.
For example, the Judicial Performance Commission of Cook County is planning a court watching effort for those judges found either Not Recommended for retention or found Recommended but with an indication that their judicial performance should improve. The Commission will also ask the Circuit Court to provide peer mentoring and/or continuing education for these 22 judges, and intends to re-evaluate these judges prior to the time they will have the opportunity to seek retention again.
2010 Retention results from Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, November 3, 2010 Vol.156, Issue 215
RETENTION RESULTS % Yes % No Illinois Supreme Court Thomas R. Fitzgerald 78.2 21.8 Charles E. Freeman 78.2 21.8 Appellate Court - First District Joseph Gordon 78.7 21.3 Shelvin Louise Marie Hall 76.6 23.4 Circuit Court of Cook County Nancy J. Arnold 77.4 22.6 Robert Balanoff 74.4 25.6 Jeanne R. Cleveland Bernstein 75.1 24.9 Robert W. Bertucci 75.6 24.4 Paul P. Biebel, Jr. 74.5 25.5 Richard J. Billik, Jr. 74.7 25.3 Kathleen Marie Burke 78.4 0.2 Charles P. Burns 76.7 23.3 Paula M. Daleo 76.5 23.5 Thomas M. Davy 75.7 24.3 David Delgado 75.5 24.5 Deborah M. Dooling 77.1 22.9 Jennifer Duncan-Brice 77.9 22.1 Laurence J. Dunford 72.7 27.3 Timothy C. Evans 78.4 21.6 Thomas P. Fecarotta, Jr. 74.4 25.6 Denise K. Filan 77.2 22.8 Nicholas R. Ford 75.9 24.1 Vincent M. Gaughan 75.2 24.8 Allen S. Goldberg 74.9 25.1 Susan Ruscitti Grussel 75.7 24.3 Sophia H. Hall 79.9 20.1 Kay M. Hanlon 77.7 22.3 LaQuietta J. Hardy-Campbell 75.2 24.8 Thomas Lee Hogan 76.8 23.2 Nathaniel R. Howse, Jr. 75.0 25.0 Arnette R. Hubbard 76.4 23.6 Cheyrl D. Ingram 78.4 21.6 Raymond L. Jagielski 73.7 26.3 Dorothy F. Jones 64.1 35.9 Daniel E. Jordan 77.2 22.8 Michelle D. Jordan 78.9 21.1 Thomas J. Kelley 77.9 22.1 Carol A. Kelly 80.0 20.0 John P. Kirby 76.7 23.3 William J. Kunkle 74.2 25.8 Bertina E. Lampkin 76.2 23.8 Diane Joan Larsen 77.9 22.1 Jeffrey Lawrence 73.1 26.9 Daniel Joseph Lynch 75.9 24.1 William D. Maddux 75.5 24.5 William O. Maki 74.4 25.6 LeRoy K. Martin, Jr. 75.8 24.2 James P. McCarthy 77.2 22.8 Susan J. McDunn 63.8 36.2 Clare E. McWilliams 77.8 22.2 Mary L. Mikva 76.8 23.2 Patrick T. Murphy 75.5 24.5 Timothy P. Murphy 77.1 22.9 Donald J. O'Brien, Jr. 76.6 23.4 William D. O'Neal 66.4 33.6 Kathleen M. Pantle 76.5 23.5 Sheryl Ann Pethers 76.5 23.5 Robert J. Quinn 76.1 23.9 James J. Ryan 63.4 36.6 Leida J. Gonzalez Santiago 75.1 24.9 Kevin M. Sheehan 76.4 23.6 Irwin J. Solganick 72.3 27.7 Paul Stralka 74.5 25.5 Daniel J. Sullivan 77.5 22.5 Sharon M. Sullivan 78.5 21.5 John D. Turner, Jr. 75.3 24.7 Edward Washington, II 75.8 24.2 Alexander P. White 77.5 22.5 Susan F. Zwick 75.7 24.3
As always, we thank you for your support!
As 2010 comes to a close we hope you will be able to make a charitable contribution to Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice to support the joint projects of Chicago Appleseed and the Chicago Council of Lawyers. You can donate by going to www.chicagoappleseed.org or contact Malcolm Rich at caffj@chicagoappleseed.org / 312-988-6552.
Sincerely,
Malcolm C. Rich Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice Chicago Council of Lawyers