Looking for rankings for the 2018 general election? Go here.

In addition to casting a ballot for candidates in heated primary races, voters this month will be tasked with electing Cook County Circuit Court judges.

Why is this important? Judges make a lot of decisions on education, health care, housing, employment, discrimination, civil rights and other topics.

To help voters navigate the dozens of options, the Chicago Bar Association and the Chicago Council of Lawyers have screened and ranked each candidate.

The Chicago Bar Association evaluated judges based on integrity, legal knowledge, legal ability, professional experience, judicial temperament, diligence, punctuality and health factors. Candidates were ranked as “highly qualified,” “qualified,” or “not recommended.”

The Chicago Council of Lawyers evaluated a candidate’s ability to serve on the relevant court in the following categories: fairness (including sensitivity to diversity and bias), legal knowledge and skills (competence), integrity, experience, diligence, impartiality, judicial temperament, respect for the rule of law, independence from political and institutional influences, professional conduct, character and community service.

Based on CCL evaluations, candidates were rated as “qualified,” “well qualified,” “highly qualified” and “not qualified.” Candidates that did not participate in the evaluation process were rated as “not recommended.”

Listed below are the “highly qualified,” “well qualified,” and “qualified” candidates, as well as the “not qualified” or “not recommended” candidates, as determined by the two local bar associations.

(Geta printer-friendly version of the list here.)

Note: Some judges received mixed ratings. Not all judges who are running are listed.

Ranked ‘Qualified’ or higher by both bar associations

Oran F. Whiting – Cook County Circuit Court, Brewer vacancyKathryn Maloney Vahey –Cook County Circuit Court, Brewer vacancyJohn Maher –Cook County Circuit Court, Brewer vacancyKathleen Theresa Lanahan –Cook County Circuit Court, Clay vacancyJonathan Clark Green –Cook County Circuit Court, Clay vacancyTom Sam Siannis –Cook County Circuit Court, Dooling vacancyTimothy John Leeming –Cook County Circuit Court, Dooling vacancyThomas F. McGuire –Cook County Circuit Court, Dunford vacancyRosa Maria Silva –Cook County Circuit Court, Evans vacancyPreston Jones Jr. –Cook County Circuit Court, Flanagan vacancyKeely Patricia Hillison –Cook County Circuit Court, Flanagan vacancyCecilia Anne Horan –Cook County Circuit Court, Hartigan vacancyClare Quish–Cook County Circuit Court, Jordan vacancyJerry Barrido–Cook County Circuit Court, Jordan vacancyBradley R. Trowbridge–Cook County Circuit Court, McGinnis vacancyJack Hagerty–Cook County Circuit Court, Rooney vacancyLitricia Payne–1st Subcircuit, Hambright, Jr. vacancyErika Orr–1st Subcircuit, Hambright, Jr. vacancyTiana Ellis Blakely– 2ndSubcircuit, Lampkin vacancyFrederick H. Bates– 2ndSubcircuit, Lampkin vacancyWilliam H. Laws– 2ndSubcircuit, Laws vacancyAdrienne Elaine Davis– 2ndSubcircuit, Laws vacancyToya T. Harvey– 2ndSubcircuit, Rhodes vacancyTravis Richardson– 2ndSubcircuit, Turner Jr. vacancyIeshia Gray– 2ndSubcircuit, Turner Jr. vacancyDebra A. Seaton– 2ndSubcircuit, Willis vacancySheree D. Henry– 2ndSubcircuit, Willis vacancyDevlin Schoop– 2ndSubcircuit, Turner vacancyPatrick Thomas Stanton– 3rdSubcircuit, Delehanty vacancyKevin Patrick Cunningham– 3rdSubcircuit, Delehanty vacancyDavid R. Navarro– 4thSubcircuit, Davy vacancyCaroline Jamieson Golden– 4thSubcircuit, Davy vacancyJohn Andrew O'Meara– 4thSubcircuit, Riley vacancyElizabeth Ciaccia-Lezza– 4thSubcircuit, Riley vacancyDanny Collins– 4thSubcircuit, Riley vacancyH. Yvonne Coleman– 5thSubcircuit, Banks vacancyDavid L. Kelly– 5thSubcircuit, Jones vacancyRobert Harris– 5thSubcircuit, Washington, II vacancyKent Delgado – 6thSubcircuit, Chevere vacancyEdward J. Underhill – 6thSubcircuit, Cooke vacancyCharles "Charlie" Beach – 6thSubcircuit, Cooke vacancyAndrea Michelle Webber – 6thSubcircuit, Cooke vacancyLinda Perez – 6thSubcircuit, Cepero vacancyStephanie K. Miller – 6thSubcircuit, Cepero vacancyJames "Jamie" Shapiro –8thSubcircuit, Fabri vacancyRobin Denise Shoffner –8thSubcircuit, Fabri vacancyJohn Christopher Benson –8thSubcircuit, Fabri vacancyLindsay Huge –8thSubcircuit, Liu vacancyMichael A. Forti –8thSubcircuit, Liu vacancyAthena A. Farmakis –8thSubcircuit, Liu vacancyJeanne Marie Wrenn –8thSubcircuit, Peters vacancyMyron "Mike" Mackoff –8thSubcircuit, Peters vacancyRishi Agrawal –8thSubcircuit, Peters vacancyStephanie Saltouros – 10thSubcircuit, O'Neill Burke vacancyGwyn E. Ward Brown –10thSubcircuit, O'Neill Burke vacancyColleen Reardon Daly –10thSubcircuit, Suriano vacancyGerald Cleary –10thSubcircuit, Suriano vacancyJoanne F. Rosado –11thSubcircuit, Kennedy vacancyScott J. Frankel –11thSubcircuit, Kennedy vacancyDavid Studenroth –12thSubcircuit, Maki vacancyJoel Chupack –12thSubcircuit, Maki vacancyGary W. Seyring –13thSubcircuit, Crane vacancySusanne Groebner –13thSubcircuit, Crane vacancyKetki "Kay" Steffen –13thSubcircuit, Crane vacancyMichael Perry Gerber –13thSubcircuit, Lawrence vacancySamuel J. Betar III –13thSubcircuit, O'Donnell vacancyMarina E. Ammendola –14thSubcircuit, Garcia vacancyMichael B. Barrett –15thSubcircuit, Scully Jr.vacancyKarla Marie Fiaoni –15thSubcircuit, Zelezinski vacancyAnthony Swanagan –15thSubcircuit, Zelezinski vacancyScott McKenna –15thSubcircuit, Zelezinski vacancy

Ranked ‘Not Qualified’ or‘Not Recommended’by both bar associations

Corri Diane Fetman –Cook County Circuit Court, Dooling vacancyKeith L. Spence –Cook County Circuit Court, Hartigan vacancyPatrick Dankwa John–Cook County Circuit Court, Jordan vacancyMable Taylor–Cook County Circuit Court, Rooney vacancyTiesha L. Smith– 2ndSubcircuit, Rhodes vacancyUbi O'Neal– 2ndSubcircuit, Willis vacancyMichael Hayes– 3rdSubcircuit, Delehanty vacancyRhonda Sallee– 5thSubcircuit, Banks vacancyGino Betts– 5thSubcircuit, Banks vacancyGwendolyn D. Anderson– 5thSubcircuit, Banks vacancyJenetia Marshall– 5thSubcircuit, Jones vacancyShay Tyrone Allen– 5thSubcircuit, Washington, II vacancyMary Alice Melchor– 5thSubcircuit, Washington, II vacancyDavid C. Herrera– 6thSubcircuit, Chevere vacancySean Patrick Kelly – 6thSubcircuit, Chevere vacancyBonnie McGrath – 8thSubcircuit, Fabri vacancyCyrus Hosseini –8thSubcircuit, Liu vacancyNoreen Patricia Connolly –10thSubcircuit, Suriano vacancyAlan M. Jacob –12thSubcircuit, Maki vacancyShannon P. O'Malley –13thSubcircuit, Lawrence vacancyBeatriz A. Frausto-Sandoval –14thSubcircuit, Garcia vacancyAshonta Rice-Akiwowo –15thSubcircuit, Scully Jr. vacancy

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