Why are we doing this?

VoteforJudges.org believes that judicial elections are critically important. Judicial decisions affect our daily lives in ways most of us don’t think about. Not only do judges make decisions on personal issues such as divorce or criminal matters, they also make decisions that affect the public as a whole, such as when, how and if O’Hare Airport will be expanded. It is vital that the people who make these decisions be well qualified and capable of reaching impartial decisions that are consistent with the law and free from political or economic pressure.

Most of the judges running for election in November are running for retention. This means that they are already judges and have a track record of performance. In order to be retained, judges must receive at least 60% of the vote.

VoteforJudges.org believes that the public has a right and responsibility to know about the qualifications of judges. We have dedicated ourselves to informing voters, in a non-partisan way, of the qualifications of people running for judge. More than a dozen bar groups interview and evaluate judicial candidates; their reviews and recommendations are available on this website for your review. Please click here to see the judicial evaluations as well as a summary grid of the groups’ evaluations.

Judicial elections are often decided by 100 votes. Your vote does make a difference. By reviewing the information on this website, VoteforJudges.org believes that you can make an informed decision about the judicial candidates and help protect our courts.