Illinois lawyers may request a ballot to rate judicial candidates.
To aid Illinois voters in their responsibility to elect and retain judges, the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) provides the public with information about the qualifications of judicial candidates and judges seeking retention. The lawyers who practice alongside candidates and judges are in a unique position to assess the professional qualities that are necessary for good judges. All Illinois judges running for retention in the November 6, 2018 General Election will be rated by the ISBA Judicial Evaluations Committee or in a Judicial Advisory Poll conducted by the ISBA. The ratings will be available in mid-October.
The release of results are at the discretion of the chief judge of the circuit.
For most judicial offices, ISBA will provide either an evaluation or a poll rating. In the case of Supreme and Appellate court candidates outside of Cook County, ISBA provides both evaluation and poll ratings. Evaluation ratings, which are the result of an in-depth review of candidates, represent the opinion of the ISBA. Judicial Advisory Poll ratings are the opinion of those attorneys who chose to respond and do not reflect the opinion of the ISBA or the opinion of all Illinois attorneys.
