A pair of trial court judges with different but significant legal experience hope to become the newest member of the Second District Illinois Appellate Court, where the winner will be in a position to affirm or reverse the types of decisions they are currently making.
Kane County Judge Susan Clancy Boles and Lake County Judge Chris Kennedy face each other for a seat on the Second District court in the Nov. 8 general election to fill an open seat created by judicial redistricting.
The Second District consists of Lake, McHenry, Kane, Kendall and DeKalb counties, an area with a combined population of 1.78 million people.
Along with the appellate court race, there are five contests for Lake County Court judges in five subcircuits. Only one is contested. Four sitting judges in the county are seeking retention from the voters.
Kennedy, a Libertyville resident and the Democratic candidate, is in the 28th year of his legal career since graduating from what was then the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, including the last two as a trial court judge. He believes he is ready for the next step of judging judges.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
“I’ve learned a lot in my career, not just about the law but about people who are involved in the legal process,” Kennedy said. “I have learned that the worst quality in any judge is arrogance. Good judgment requires humility and consideration of all perspectives. Judges make decisions in the moment based on what is before them. At the appellate court, I will have time to do research.”
Boles, now the presiding judge of the Civil Division of the Kane County court, is the Republican candidate and a St. Charles resident. In the 32nd year of her legal career and a judge for the last 15, she said she graduated from the Valparaiso University School of Law.
A trial lawyer since 1990, Boles worked first for a large Chicago firm before joining the Clancy Law Offices in St. Charles where her grandfather, father and brothers also practiced. Since she became a judge, she said she has experienced a number of appeals. One was reversed and it was a learning experience.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
“It was quite some time ago,” Boles said. “I took a look at the court’s reasoning. You understand why they ruled in favor of the party, though you don’t always agree. In the trial court, you have to make a ruling on the spot versus being able to address the issue contemplatively.”
With two years hearing cases in Lake County, Kennedy said only one decision was appealed and the appellate court has yet to rule. As an attorney, he has been involved in a number of appeals, some involving millions of dollars. He understands the difference between ruling quickly when an attorney makes an objection and the more academic role of an appellate judge.
“You take a really deep dive into legal reasoning,” Kennedy said. “You know all the facts, you have a brief, sometimes quite lengthy, and an oral argument. I know how to do that because I’ve done it as an attorney.”
During her time practicing law, Boles said she had a long-standing dream of becoming a judge. Now that she believes she has handled her duties on the bench successfully, she feels she is prepared to help people at a different level. She would like to speed the appellate process.
“There are times there can be a four or five-year delay,” Boles said. “I would like to improve the efficiency of the process.”
While Kennedy and Boles are vying for a seat on the court of appeals, two Lake County attorneys — Chris Ditton of Grayslake and Rod Drobinski of Wauconda — are competing for a seat on the Lake County Court in the First Judicial Subcircuit consisting of all or part of Ingelside, Hainesville, Grayslake, Wauconda and the Round Lake communities.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
A 2001 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, Drobinski, the Republican candidate, spent 15 years with the Lake County state’s attorney’s office before starting his own practice concentrating on criminal defense and real estate. During 2020, he also ran the felony division of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s office.
Ditton, who graduated from John Marshall Law School in 1991 and is the Democrat in the race, said he had his own law office and has been affiliated with Harter & Schottland in Round Lake Beach since 2010. His focus is on civil litigation and transactions. He has also served as the Avon Township assessor since 2011 and was a trustee before that.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
Seeking judgeships in uncontested races are Sharmila Manak in the Second Subcircuit, Lake County Judge Reginald Matthews in the Third Subcircuit and Judge Michael G. Nerheim in the 12th Subcircuit.
Running for retention to give the voters an opportunity to let them keep their job are Second District Appellate Court Judge Joe Birkett and Lake County judges Victoria Rossetti, Jorge Ortiz and Mark Levitt.
