Vikelis A Write-in Winner
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Judges regularly must read between the lines. In April, many of Cook County’s circuit judges wrote between them.
The judges received ballots with 26 names to fill 13 associate judge vacancies. Then-Circuit Judge Peter J. Vilkelis, fresh off a March primary defeat for his appointed seat, was not one of those names.
But Vilkelis’ colleagues on the bench weren’t quite ready to see him pack up his office in the court’s Child Protection Division.
“I started getting text messages and phone calls saying they wanted to mount a write-in for me,” Vilkelis said.
One of the messages came from Circuit Judge Robert Balanoff.
“As soon as we saw the list and saw Pete wasn’t on it, we were sort of shocked,” Balanoff said.
Such a campaign, a rarely attempted avenue to a spot on the bench provided under Illinois Supreme Court rules, requires voting circuit judges to fill in a qualified candidate’s name on a blank line below the printed names.
Balanoff, a 10-year judicial veteran, said he’s unaware of any previous successful write-in campaigns. He sent a letter to judges asking them to vote for Vilkelis.
Vilkelis printed palm cards to hand out at a judicial educational conference in early May and sent two sets of mailings explaining his background and goals as a judge.
“Given all the encouragement I was getting from a lot of judges, I let Chief Judge (Timothy C.) Evans know what I was doing, and he told me if I was successful, I’d be welcomed with open arms,” he said.
“I felt, what did I have to lose at that point?”
His fellow judges made him one of their 13 picks.
Now formally an associate judge, Vilkelis said he’s gratified and humbled by the support he received.
Read more in our daily News Update...
From the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
Judges regularly must read between the lines. In April, many of Cook County’s circuit judges wrote between them.
The judges received ballots with 26 names to fill 13 associate judge vacancies. Then-Circuit Judge Peter J. Vilkelis, fresh off a March primary defeat for his appointed seat, was not one of those names.
But Vilkelis’ colleagues on the bench weren’t quite ready to see him pack up his office in the court’s Child Protection Division.
“I started getting text messages and phone calls saying they wanted to mount a write-in for me,” Vilkelis said.
One of the messages came from Circuit Judge Robert Balanoff.
“As soon as we saw the list and saw Pete wasn’t on it, we were sort of shocked,” Balanoff said.
Such a campaign, a rarely attempted avenue to a spot on the bench provided under Illinois Supreme Court rules, requires voting circuit judges to fill in a qualified candidate’s name on a blank line below the printed names.
Balanoff, a 10-year judicial veteran, said he’s unaware of any previous successful write-in campaigns. He sent a letter to judges asking them to vote for Vilkelis.
Vilkelis printed palm cards to hand out at a judicial educational conference in early May and sent two sets of mailings explaining his background and goals as a judge.
“Given all the encouragement I was getting from a lot of judges, I let Chief Judge (Timothy C.) Evans know what I was doing, and he told me if I was successful, I’d be welcomed with open arms,” he said.
“I felt, what did I have to lose at that point?”
His fellow judges made him one of their 13 picks.
Now formally an associate judge, Vilkelis said he’s gratified and humbled by the support he received.
Read more in our daily News Update...