Chicago Citizen Hosts Town Hall Meeting For Judicial Candidates

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Twenty-four candidates for judge attended the town hall meeting Saturday sponsored by the Chicago Citizen newspaper. After introducing themselves to would be voters, the judges answered questions from the audience. Voters go to the polls March 20 for the primary election. (Jerome Simmons/Chicago Citizen)
Twenty-four candidates for judge attended the town hall meeting Saturday sponsored by the Chicago Citizen newspaper. After introducing themselves to would be voters, the judges answered questions from the audience. Voters go to the polls March 20 for the primary election. (Jerome Simmons/Chicago Citizen)

Several Cook County judicial candidates took part in a town hall meeting this past Saturday hosted by the Chicago Citizen newspaper. Twenty four candidates took advantage of the opportunity to introduce themselves to the capacity crowd of voters who attended, telling of their personal and professional experiences, and answering at times, very pointed questions from the audience. The meeting was moderated by Cook County Circuit Court Judges Lew Nixon and LaGuina-Clay Herron.

Larissa M. Tyler, the Chicago Citizens managing editor, decided to produce the event after polling several community members over the past few months, finding out that the majority of them could not put a face with the name of any of the judicial candidates and knew very little or nothing about the hopefuls.

I felt it was about time that judicial candidates had a special platform where they could inform the public about exactly who they are and what they stand for and in the same vein, I felt that it was time that the public had a chance to review these judicial candidates up close. There are so many misconceptions about judges, many of them unfavorable and stemming from misinformation or no information. Forums like this allow the public to meet the candidates, ask questions and research them later. Then when they go to vote, theyre making an educated and informed decisionand thats how it should be.

Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. who is running unopposed for the Board of Review in the March 20 primary and who is also a personal injury attorney attended the town hall and about how important the judicial races are.

(Judges) have a great deal of power. Its called judicial discretion, he said. Its very, very, very important to our community that we elect people who will exercise that discretion in a way thats fair and judicious to us and our children.

With dozens of judge vacancies listed on the ballot in Cook County for the March 20 primary, deciding on who to vote for could pose a challenge for voters. Still, some feel the judicial races should be taken very seriously.

Its incumbent upon us, as voters, to come out and see who it is that were putting in the robes, said 21st Ward resident Deretra B. Askew, 67, who attended the town hall. I vote according to what the person has done as far service, what the persons ethnic background is and gender.

In their individual remarks to the crowd, many of the candidates some of whom were sitting judges and others were attorneys seeking a seat on the bench for the first time talked about how voters elect judges without knowing much about them.

Its at events like this that citizens in the community get an opportunity and get an idea about who the judges really are, said 1st District Appellate Court Judge P. Scott Neville who was appointed to his seat in June 2004, but is looking to be elected in a countywide race to a vacant seat.

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Peter J. Vilkelis, who is seeking election to a vacant seat in a six-way race in the upcoming primary.

So many times people go to vote for judge and they have no idea who theyre voting for, he said.

The candidates at the town hall meeting included several Chicago Public Schools alumni, current and former prosecutors, educators and mentors, attorneys and judges all boasting a wealth of professional experience and ties to the community. The current judges at the forum running for re-election hear such cases as child welfare, divorce, foreclosure, traffic and cases involving violent crimes.

Many of the candidates said jurists should be judged by their relationship to the community and voters were urged by some contenders not to consider candidates without grassroots connections.

A candidates commitment to service is very important because it is an indicator of their commitment to justice, said Jessica OBrien, currently an attorney within the Ill. Department of Revenue and acting chief counsel for the Illinois Lottery. She is running for Circuit Court judge.

One word that resonated among the candidates was compassion. Those seeking a first-time seat on the bench as well as current judges with years of experience talked about the need to have an understanding of and care for people.

You have to have compassion for people, said family law Judge William Boyd. You have to have an individual who is human being and understands that theres a human being on the other side of the bench.

Boyd is running for a seat on the 1st District Appellate Court.

Bound by the code of judicial conduct that lays out specific rules for the judicial candidates, the hopefuls at the town hall were limited in what they could say to voters. But as the floor opened for questions, the candidates offered responses.

Community activist Darva Watkins, CEO and executive director of the social empowerment non-profit organization Just-Us, posed an appeal to the candidates: If you get a chance to be electedbring justice back to the judicial system especially for people of color.

The Chicago Citizen made Watkins appeal into a direct question to the candidates, asking how they would restore faith in the justice system for those who feel the scales are often unbalanced.

Appellate Court Judge Jesse G. Reyes, who is running for a 1st District Appellate Court vacancy responded.

I think part of the disconnect is the disconnect between members of the bench not getting back into their community. I think we need to get back into the community and to talk to the people and listen to the issues and the concerns that they have. Thats how (we) become sensitive to whats going on, Reyes said.

When the candidates were asked how they felt about endorsements and ratings from Bar Associations, some responses were candid.

I dont believe in the bar ratings and the reason I dont believe in them is because theyre subjective, said Circuit Court Judge Pamela Hill-Veal, who is running for a seat on the Appellate Court. Its not a fair process, especially for African American people.

One tip that came out of the forum was that voters can research cases that some of the judicial candidates have presided over by accessing the Cook County court systems electronic docket or by even visiting a courtroom to observe the judges as they preside over cases.

By Rhonda Gillespie

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