05.23.11 Forum to Discuss Judicial Retention Reform
Every six years, a circuit judge in Illinois must face the voters and achieve a 60 percent "YES" vote in order to retain his or her seat on the bench. But in every retention election, many voters abandon the ballot, frustrated by its length - there are some 70 judges to vote upon in Cook County - and by the lack of useful information with which to make an informed decision.
The Chicago Council of Lawyers and Chicago Appleseed, in conjunction with the Public Affairs Judiciary Subcommittee of the Union League Club, is hosting a Judicial Retention Forum. Panelists include: Justice Gino DiVito, who served as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County for 12 years and as a Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court for eight years, and Judge William Hooks, who currently serves as a Judge assigned to the Criminal Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County; moderated by J. Timothy Eaton, past-president of the Illinois State Bar Association and current secretary of the Chicago Bar Association.
The panel will examine a reform proposal that would include a commission to evaluate sitting judges and which would require only those judges who fail to achieve a qualified ranking to stand for retention on the ballet.
WHERE: Union League Club of Chicago, 65 W. Jackson Blvd.
WHEN: 3-5pm, Monday, May 23, 2011
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