One Month

We're about a month out from Election Day, and while we don't think much is going to change locally, there is one place that a concerted effort can send a message to the political class that there better be some changes.

• judicial retention

 And believe it or not, in 2024 more judges than ever ended up on the verge of losing their seats:

• Tuesday was the last day provisional ballots can be counted and it appears one Cook County Circuit Court judge will be losing their seat. Shannon O’Malley gained only 58% Yes for Retention votes. All members of the Alliance of Bar Associations rated Judge O’Malley not recommended for retention. In addition to questions about his meeting residency requirements, the Council had concerns about his courtroom management, where avoidable delays can mean that a child remains in a group home, psychiatric hospital, or other out-of-home placement longer than necessary.

  Most judges hovered around 73% yes votes on their retention and no judge gained more than 78%. Five additional judges did not break 65% approval ratings: Kathy M. Flanagan, E. Kenneth Wright, Jr., Maura Slattery Boyle, Lisa Ann Marino,  and Ieshia Gray. An additional seven judges did not break 70%. In 2020, eight judges achieved less than 70% approval, with five below 65% and two not retaining their seats. 

Cook county voters are literally on the cusp of sending a message, maybe a few hundred votes in many races. For every four "No" votes, a judge needs to get six more "Yes" votes than previously counted. A couple hundred "No" votes would sink more judges in a single election than have been removed in decades past. 

It literally takes thirty seconds to vote "No" and convey your disgust with the system. Justice isn't going to grind to a halt without these idiots - has anyone seen a judge put in a full day at any point in the past century? There are plenty of them to pick up the slack and plenty of opportunity for judge bitch Beach to make temporary appointments if needed. 

Take the thirty seconds and vote "No."