Every two years, Cook County voters are faced with a hefty list of judges on their ballot whom they will choose to either keep for another term or remove from the bench in what’s known as a judicial retention election.
Here’s what to know about how judicial retention elections work.
What is a retention election?
Circuit court judges are elected to six-year terms. When their term ends, they have to run to keep their seat for another six years. Appellate court judges and state Supreme Court justices run for retention every 10 years.
Unlike other elected officials, judges seeking retention do not run against opposing candidates. In a retention election, voters have the option to vote “Yes” to keep judges on the bench or “No” to remove them. Retention elections are nonpartisan, so judges do not run as part of any political party.
November 2026 Cook County judicial election guide
How many votes do judges need to be retained?
To stay on the bench, judges need at least 60% of voters in their race to vote “Yes.”
Voters throughout Cook County vote on all retention candidates, even if the judge was initially elected from a subcircuit, which are geographic districts created to increase the diversity of the judiciary.
Why do we reelect judges this way?
In 1964, Illinois legislators introduced nonpartisan retention elections for sitting judges. The hope was that voters would decide whether to keep or remove judges based on their qualifications and not on their political affiliations, though new judges are still elected in partisan elections. Illinois is one of 8 states that reelects circuit court judges this way, according to data from the Brennan Center for Justice.
It soon became clear even to advocates of the retention process that voters were overwhelmed by the number of judges on their ballot and likely did not know enough about the candidates to make informed decisions. Over the years, policymakers have pushed unsuccessfully for alternatives to retaining judges, such as a merit-based selection process and gubernatorial appointments.
Do Cook County judges ever lose retention?
Rarely. Voters have historically opted to keep Cook County judges on the bench by fairly wide margins. On average, judges have won retention with about 76% “Yes” votes, an Injustice Watch analysis found in 2022.
In 2018, Matthew Coghlan became the first Cook County judge to lose retention in 28 years. His ouster came after a group of progressive lawyers campaigned to remove him, in part for his role as a prosecutor in wrongful convictions tied to disgraced former police detective Reynaldo Guevara, and he lost the support of the Cook County Democratic Party.
Since then, voters have removed only two other judges from the bench. In 2020, Jackie Portman-Brown lost her retention election after a video showed her locking up her 6-year-old grandniece in a holding cell behind her courtroom for several minutes. Then, in 2024, Shannon O’Malley was ousted by voters after Injustice Watch raised questions about whether he met residency requirements.
Other judges have come close to losing their seat as well, but Cook County voters have overwhelmingly continued to keep judges on the bench.
Where can I find information about retention judges?
Injustice Watch’s nonpartisan judicial election guide compiles information about the judges’ personal backgrounds, legal experience, political connections, conduct on the bench, and controversies. We also observe judges in court and speak with attorneys and litigants about their experiences with them. Our comprehensive judicial election guide is available online and in print.
There are also 14 bar associations that evaluate judicial candidates. Bar associations are affinity groups of current and retired lawyers, such as the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois and the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago.
The evaluation process requires candidates to complete extensive written questionnaires, interview with representatives from the bar associations, and complete a background check. Bar associations also solicit feedback from lawyers who have practiced in front of the judges — and, in some cases, from litigants or community groups. The bar associations then issue recommendations about whether judges are qualified to keep their job.
Critics of the bar associations say few judges receive negative ratings, most bar associations don’t provide any explanation for their recommendations, and the evaluation process is limited because it mostly reflects the perspectives of lawyers and not people impacted by the court system. Injustice Watch includes the bar association recommendations in our election guide and a summary of the explanation provided by some of the bar groups.
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