In The Case of Whose Is It?
I recently read a blurb on social media where a Cook County judge who was recently appointed to a judicial vacancy and is now a candidate for election to that same judicial vacancy indicated that he is running to keep “his seat” as a judge. Immediately, I wondered, whose seat, is it? While it is true that vacancies can be filled by temporary appointment of the Supreme Court until the next election, the temporary appointment does not make it “his seat.”
Truth be told, a judicial vacancy is the “people’s seat.” It is, by right, the voters of Cook County who will determine who is elected to the judicial seat and whose seat it becomes for retention purposes. If the appointee were truly defending his or her seat it would be called a retention election.
Judicial elections are sometimes obscure, but they are one of the most important offices on the ballot (as recent headlines reveal) and the winners of judicial elections often remain in office for decades. Unfortunately, voters are sometimes influenced when judicial appointments are made just prior to an election resulting in the situation where the appointee claims that he or she is “trying to keep their seat.” That claim is clearly misleading.
Do not be fooled by temporary appointees who come dressed in black robes proclaiming their right to retain their seat. Let the voters become familiar with the qualifications and history of all the candidates and the people will make the right choice.
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Peggy Riggins
