The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago’s Judicial Evaluation Committee interviewed candidates in January for the March 21 Illinois primary elections.
“Voters may draw their own conclusions about how to interpret a candidate’s refusal to participate,” said Susana Darwin, LAGBAC’s president. “Candidates who participated but did not get interviewed by LAGBAC are noted as such.”
LAGBAC evaluates candidates’ qualifications for the judiciary based upon a number of criteria, including experience, legal and analytical skills, temperament, ability to be impartial, participation in civic affairs, and sensitivity to legal issues affecting lesbians and gay men, in particular, but also women and people of color. Application materials, reports based on in—depth investigations, and in—person interviews drawn together under the aegis of the Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening form the basis for LAGBAC’s evaluation.
Eleven area bar groups make up the Alliance, including the Asian—American Bar Association, the Black Women Lawyers Association, the Cook County Bar Association, the Decalogue Society, the Hispanic Lawyers Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Coalition of Suburban Bar Associations, and the Chicago Council of Lawyers. The Chicago Bar Association has declined to participate in the Alliance process.
The Alliance process allows candidates to do “one—stop shopping” in presenting themselves to this array of bar associations for evaluation, promotes greater participation by the smaller bar associations, and deepens the connections between lawyers with interests in different communities.
“Until the spring of 1999, LAGBAC evaluated candidates only on the basis of their sensitivity to lesbian and gay issues,” Darwin said. “Beginning in the spring of 1999, we moved to a two—tier, ‘up—or—down’ system, ‘Recommended’ or ‘Not Recommended’, in order to assist the Circuit Court judges who cast votes to appoint Associate Judges but especially to take a broader range of relevant features into consideration. As of the current round of evaluations, we evaluate on a three—tier basis, ‘Highly Recommended,’ ‘Qualified’, or ‘Not Recommended.'” Judge of the Supreme Court, First Judicial District, Bilandic vacancy:
William Cousins (Democrat) —Qualified
Christine Curran (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Thomas R. Fitzgerald (Democrat) —Qualified
Morton Zwick (Democrat) —Qualified
Judge of the Appellate Court, First Judicial Dist., McNamara vacancy:
John Joseph Coyne (Republican) —Did Not Participate
Shelvin Louise Marie Hall (Democrat) —Highly Recommended
Daniel J. Kelley (Dem.) —Not Evaluated
Denise Margaret O’Malley (Democrat) —Qualified
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Ct, Banks vacancy:
Matthew E. Coghlan (Democrat) —Qualified
Thomas Donnelly (Democrat) —Qualified
Beverly Susler Parkhurst (Democrat) —Highly Recommended
Laura Marie Sullivan (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circt Ct, Corboy vacancy:
Thomas James Lawler (Democrat) —Qualified
Marvin Leavitt (Democrat) —Qualified
Dennis Michael McGuire (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Joyce M. Murphy (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Judge of the Circuit Court Cook, County Circuit Ct, Czaja vacancy:
Mary M. Brosnahan (Democrat) —Highly Recommended
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Judicial Circuit, Dunne vacancy:
Paul Karkula (Dem.) —Not Evaluated
Domenica A. Stephenson (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Ct, Getty vacancy:
Nancy A. Donahoe (Dem.) —Qualified
John Joseph Downey (Democrat) —Qualified
Deborah Jean Gubin (Democrat) —Recommended
P. Scott Neville (Dem.) —Recommended
Lawrence A. Scordino (Democrat) —Qualified
Robert Ronald Tepper (Democrat) —Qualified
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Ct, Gillis vacancy:
Matthew William Beaudet (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Colleen F. Sheehan (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court, Green vacancy:
Charles E. Donegan (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Donna Phelps Felton (Democrat) —Not Evaluated
Ellen Flannigan (Dem.) —Not Rec.
William James Frost (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Rodney C. Howard (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Carol J. Kenny (Dem.) —Not Evaluated
Karen G. Shields (Democrat) —Highly Recommended
Judge of the Circuit Court Cook, County Circuit Court, Jordan vacancy:
Marjorie E. McColom (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Joan Margaret O’Brien (Democrat) —Highly Recommended
Robert D. Quinlivan (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Richard Anthony Stevens (Democrat) —Not Evaluated
Judge of the Circuit Court Cook, County Circuit Court, McBride vacancy:
Marcia Maras (Democrat) —Highly Recommended
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court, Murphy vacancy:
JoAnne Guillemette (Democrat) —Not Evaluated
Michael T. Healy (Democrat) —Qualified
Michael L. McGrath (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court, Quinlan vacancy:
Dennis J. Burke (Dem.) —Highly Recommended
Rosemary Grant Higgins (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Mark McGuire (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Martha Mills (Democrat) —Recommended
Michael Thomas O’Malley (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Thomas David Roti (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court, Singer vacancy:
Janice L. Berman (Dem.) —Not Recommended
Francis Joseph Dolan (Democrat) —Qualified
Eileen Marie Geary (Democrat) —Qualified
Bonnie Carol McGrath (Democrat) —Sensitive
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court First Subcircuit, additional judgeship A:
Robert Balanoff (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Joseph Chico (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
LaGuina Clay—Clark (Dem.) —Did Not Participate
Raymond Myles (Democrat) —Qualified
John O. Steele (Democrat) —Qualified
Sybil C. Thomas (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court Third Subcircuit, additional judgeship A:
Peter Flynn (Democrat) —Highly Recommended
Aidan Elizabeth O’Connor (Dem.) —Not Evaluated
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court Fifth Subcircuit, additional judgeship A:
Robert L Anderson (Dem.) —Not Recommended
Paul Brady (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Loretta Eadie—Daniels (Democrat) —Not Evaluated
Joanne Simboli Hodge (Democrat) —Qualified
Casandra Lewis (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Paula M. Lingo (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Angela Richardson (Dem.) —Did Not Participate
Hilda R. Whittington (Dem.) —Did Not Participate
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court Ninth Subcircuit, additional judgeship A:
James R. Epstein (Democrat) —Highly Recommended
Judy Frydland (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Paul William Plotnick (Democrat) —Not Evaluated
Paul Sabin (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Pamela Lung—Hui Shu (Democrat) —Qualified
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court Thirteenth Subcircuit, additional judgeship A:
Lawrence L. Grazian (Republican) —Not Recommended
Anthony A. Iosco (Republican) —Not Evaluated
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Court Fourteenth Subcircuit, additional judgeship A:
Maura Slattery Boyle (Democrat) —Did Not Participate
Judge of the Circuit Court, Cook County Circuit Ct Fifteenth Subcircuit, Krop Vacancy:
John Thomas Doody (Republican) —Highly Recommended
Thomas F. Dwyer (Dem.) —Not Recommended
James E. Gierach (Democrat) —Qualified
John J. Lanigan (Repub.) —Not Recommended
Marcella Lipinski (Democrat) —Qualified
David Joseph O’Connor (Democrat) —Not Recommended
Robert Parchem (Repub.) —Highly Recommended
Mitchell Ware (Democrat) —Not Recommended