This November, UChicago students voting locally will have the chance to elect one justice to the Illinois Supreme Court, four judges to the Illinois Appellate Court, and 32 judges to the local courts of Cook County.
Cook County has over 400 circuit court judges. A third are elected on a countywide basis, while all others belong to one of Cook County’s 20 subcircuits. Hyde Park is part of the first subcircuit, with 32 judges. 30 judges are up for (re)election on a countywide basis, and 2 are up for re-election in the first subcircuit.
For additional information on other races, please visit the Maroon’s 2025 Ballot Guide.
Partisan primaries for each race concluded in March, leaving voters to decide between the Republican and Democratic candidates in each election.
In the Illinois Supreme Court’s first district, comprising Cook County, incumbent Democrat Joy Cunningham is running without opposition. Cunningham has been on the Supreme Court since 2022, previously serving as an appellate judge. A graduate of John Marshall Law School (now UIC Law) in Chicago, she previously served as general counsel for the Loyola and Northwestern medical systems before entering public service. Her platform emphasizes her commitment to reproductive rights and inclusion.
For the Illinois Appellate Court’s first district election, none of the four races are contested.
While Cook County has dozens of judicial elections scheduled, only a small number are contested.
While 30 countywide seats up for re-election as part of the Cook County Circuit Court’s general election, voters will only have a choice in one race.
Democrat Pablo deCastro is facing off against Republican Tien Glaub. DeCastro (A.B. ’91) teaches in the Law School’s intensive trial practice program. He began his career in the Cook County Public Defender’s Office, before becoming a federal public defender. His advertising emphasizes “equitable access to justice” although he has not released a platform.
Glaub, the first Republican to run in a Cook County Circuit Court general election for over a decade, describes her candidacy as motivated by a desire to increase awareness of “justice and fairness” in the judicial system. Glaub currently serves as a manager of Administrative Adjudication for the City of Chicago and has also not released a platform.
For the two seats up for re-election in Cook County subcircuit’s district one, Carl Walker and Erika Orr are running unopposed. This subcircuit district encompasses Hyde Park and most neighborhoods along the South Side lakeshore.
In Cook County, only subcircuits 12 and 17 have Republican candidates contesting the election. Voters can consult endorsement guides from the Chicago Council of Lawyers and various bar associations surveyed by WTTW.
Voters with further questions about eligibility and ballot access can visit the Illinois State Board of Elections website for more information.
