Illinois High Court Finds Some Stability
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Two Illinois Supreme Court justices won big electoral victories Tuesday, potentially paving the way for an era of stability on the seven-person bench.
Justice Mary Jane Theis, who received a high court appointment in 2010, will keep her 1st District seat for the next 10 years, after defeating Cook County Circuit Judge James G. Riley by about 50 percentage points.
The victory for the 63-year-old Democrat ensures her party maintains a majority on the court through at least 2018, barring any unexpected departures or retirements.
Only Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier, a Republican whose current term ends in 2014, faces a retention election in the next six years.
The court's three other Democrats don't hit the ballot again for several years, with Justice Anne M. Burke coming up in 2018 and Justices Thomas L. Kilbride and Charles E. Freeman appearing in 2020.
Theis, who also cruised to victory in a contested primary in March, said the current set of justices ignore any partisan divide on the court.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Two Illinois Supreme Court justices won big electoral victories Tuesday, potentially paving the way for an era of stability on the seven-person bench.
Justice Mary Jane Theis, who received a high court appointment in 2010, will keep her 1st District seat for the next 10 years, after defeating Cook County Circuit Judge James G. Riley by about 50 percentage points.
The victory for the 63-year-old Democrat ensures her party maintains a majority on the court through at least 2018, barring any unexpected departures or retirements.
Only Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier, a Republican whose current term ends in 2014, faces a retention election in the next six years.
The court's three other Democrats don't hit the ballot again for several years, with Justice Anne M. Burke coming up in 2018 and Justices Thomas L. Kilbride and Charles E. Freeman appearing in 2020.
Theis, who also cruised to victory in a contested primary in March, said the current set of justices ignore any partisan divide on the court.
Read more in our daily News Update...