01.20.10 Progress through Partnership
VoteForJudges.org is Cook County's source for judicial election information
Voteforjudges.org, brought to you by Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice, is a nonpartisan website designed to give voters of Cook County the information they need to make the informed choices about judges on the February 2nd primary ballot.
In this election, voters in Cook County will fill three Appellate Court vacancies, eight countywide vacancies, and fourteen vacancies in the judicial subcircuits. At voteforjudges.org, voters will find evaluations for judges and judicial candidates from 11 bar associations (including those of the Council). Voters will also find information about judicial elections and media articles about the judicial races.
Save the date for "Organizing for Change in Chicago"
March 25 at the Art Institute of Chicago
On Thursday, March 25, 2010, the Chicago Appleseed Fund for Justice and Appleseed will proudly host a joint fundraising event, "Organizing for Change in Chicago" at the Art Institute of Chicago. We'll honor William Von Hoene (Exelon Corporation) with our "Corporate Leader Award" for his efforts to promote and practice pro bono work in the corporate legal community. Roger Pascal (Schiff Hardin LLP) will receive our "Unsung Hero" award for his commitment to pro bono excellence in Chicago. Kirkland & Ellis LLP will receive our "Pro Bono Champion" award for their extraordinary leadership in pro bono work on Chicago Appleseed's behalf.
Please join us for a cocktail reception and program at 6pm. To sponsor the event or purchase tickets, click here. Please contact Amanda Grant with any questions (312-988-6599, agrant@chicagoappleseed.org). We look forward to celebrating with you as we work for change in Chicago.
Voters Beware: Nearly Half of Judicial Candidates are Not Qualified
Statement of the Chicago Council of Lawyers
The voters of cook County face a judicial ballot with a substantial number of unqualified candidates - even higher than usual. To the Council, this means that the electoral process is attracting more and more lawyers who should not be judges. It does not matter whether it is the economy or other reason that is causing more unqualified people to seek the bench. Higher numbers of unqualified candidates increase the likelihood that we are going to have more unqualified judges on the bench in December 2010. It is more important now than ever before that voters differentiate between qualified and unqualified candidates. The bar associations must get the word out to voters as to who is really qualified, and individual lawyers owe it to the judicial system to work for the election of only qualified candidates.
In the future, the judicial evaluations need to be used as part of a process to improve the quality of the judiciary - the written evaluations of the Chicago Council of Lawyers, for example, can be used by supervising judges as a benchmark to hold new judges accountable. These evaluations state what members of the bar think a candidate must do to improve - things that new judges must do before they become the good judges we all deserve.
Even one bad judge hurts the lives of thousands of people every year. We must work to elect only qualified judicial candidates.
Malcolm Rich
Executive Director
Chicago Council of Lawyers
Peter Steinmeyer
President
Chicago Council of Lawyers