Tools: Take A Sample Ballot With You When You Vote for Cook County Judges

Early voting has begun! Below are sample ballots for Cook County judicial elections. Click each ballot to find a list of every judge up for retention in Cook County, followed by a recommendation for retention. In Cook County, Judges must receive a "Yes" vote from at least 60% of voters in order to r...
October 22, 2012

ILP v Madigan

Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, the Campaign Legal Center and Chicago Appleseed have filed an amicus (.pdf download) in ILP v Madigan, in  support of Illinois' campaign contribution limits. ILP (the Illinois Liberty PAC) and an individual who contributes both to individual candidates and to...
September 25, 2012

7th Circuit Upholds Illinois Campaign Disclosure Laws

On Monday, the 7th Circuit ruled in favor of Illinois’ campaign finance disclosure law in Center For Individual Freedom v. Madigan. The Center for Individual Freedom (CFIF), a Virginia-based 501(c)(4) nonprofit, hoped to run advertisements in Illinois markets during the 2010 election season.  The ad...
September 17, 2012

Protecting Fair Courts in a Citizens United World — Blogging the Forum

Thanks to everyone who came out! The forum was a great success with stimulating discussion about a critical issue facing our courts. We hope to post a video of the forum in the near future with the help of CANTV. 5:03 pm Mr. Skaggs on merit selection: Politics intrudes on the appointment process a...
May 23, 2012

Cook County Circuit Court Elects 9 Qualified & Well Qualified Associate Judges

The Cook County Circuit Court elected 9 new associate judges, all of whom were found qualified or well qualified by our affiliate, Chicago Council of Lawyers. Associate judges have the same authority as all other circuit court judges, although their salary is slightly lower. Associate Judges are ele...
April 26, 2012