What Got More Votes?

ShotSpotter outpolled....Conehead?

• Chicago voters delivered a strong message in favor of gunshot-detection technology Tuesday, with roughly 447,000 casting ballots to support its reinstatement. That’s about 128,000 more votes than Mayor Brandon Johnson received when he was elected in April 2023.

And once again, proving that things haven't gotten bad enough for voters to actually care about criminals being held accountable, no judges lost their spots:

• But Cook County voters appeared ready to retain every judge on the ballot — including those linked to controversial rulings in high-profile criminal cases.

• ....despite recurring public anger over judges releasing repeat offenders or handing down unpopular rulings in violent crime cases, every Cook County Circuit Court Judge seeking retention appeared likely to secure at least 60% of the vote to earn another six-year term.

  Among judges who handle criminal cases in Chicago, Ursula Walowski came closest to falling short. She had received just over 62% support as of 11 p.m. Tuesday, with 98% of precincts reporting. Walowski attracted attention during the campaign after Injustice Watch reported that higher courts had overturned her decisions 25 times during her first six years on the bench — “substantially more” than the totals for the other five criminal court judges seeking retention this year, the outlet reported. 

If any other profession had twenty-five decisions in six years second guessed, overturned or sustained against them, they'd probably be gone. But not Cook County judges.