Bar associations’ judicial ratings
November 2, 2012 10:39AM
Bar assocations' judicial ratings
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Updated: December 1, 2012 5:01PM
One was documented, in a local television report, running errands and even sunbathing next to her backyard pool on separate weekday afternoons.
Another has been suspended indefinitely this year after exhibiting erratic behavior on the job and an arrest for shoving a sheriff’s deputy in a downtown courthouse complex.
Both are Cook County Circuit Court judges and while they are up for re-election or “retention” on the Nov. 6 ballot, nearly a dozen state and local bar groups are recommending voters give Cynthia Brim and Gloria Chevere the boot.
If history is any judge, voters will give the two jurists another six-year term, despite their public troubles and low marks from most of the bar associations.
The sheer number of judges — 57 circuit court judges in all this time around — and their dead-last spot on the ballot often stops voters cold.
In fact, 30 percent to 50 percent of voters skip that portion of the ballot, said Malcolm Rich, executive director of the Chicago Council of Lawyers, one of a dozen bar associations that evaluate the judges ahead of the election.
“They get to that part of the ballot and they’re baffled,” Rich said.
Still, the public should care about who is sitting on the bench, considering they have the power to take away people’s driving privileges, their homes, even their children.
