It's been 20 years since Tom Chiola's historic win made him the first openly gay elected official in Illinois, and Cook County has seen a number of out judges take the bench since.
This year could bring two more, as Judy Rice and James Patrick Crawley are battling for seats in Cook County.
Each election cycle typically sees a handful of LGBT judicial candidates. Rice, a Chicago native with a long history in city government, is running in the Cook County Circuit Court 7th Subcircuit. James Crawley, a personal injury attorney with more than 25 years in law, is running to fill the Cook County Circuit Court Hill-Veal Vacancy. Linda Pauel, an out candidate in the 10th Subcircuit withdrew from her race in December.
"They seem to be running really good races," said John Litchfield, president of the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago ( LAGBAC ), of Rice and Crawley.
LAGBAC does not comment on specific races, Litchfield said. That is because LAGBAC rates candidates.
LAGBAC found both Rice and Crawley "recommended."
Judy Rice
Rice previously served as the Chicago treasurer under Mayor Richard Daley, and was the first female commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Chicago Department of Water as well as the director of the Department of Revenue.
She has been active in Chicago's LGBT community for years, but it wasn't until last fall, when she launched her campaign, that she came out as a lesbian.
"There are many factors about me: the fact that I'm African-American, that I'm female, that I'm a lesbian, that I'm an attorney, that I've been in business school," Rice told Windy City Times last September. "It's not something that is the primary focus of my role, but it's a factor about me, and at this point in my life, it's one that I'm open about."
Rice co-chaired the 2006 Gay Games Champions program in Chicago, among things, and she attended the Chicago Pride Parade annually. Most recently, she has served as the senior vice president and head of community affairs & economic development for BMO Harris Bank.
Rice is up against two other Democrats—Owens J. Shelby, an assistant state's attorney in Cook County, and Marianne Jackson, an associate judge.
Shelby did not submit his name to the Alliance of Bar Associations and was therefore LAGBAC did not recommend him. Jackson's ratings have yet to be released.
In her candidate interview with WCT, Rice said she believes the diversity of her experiences makes her a great candidate for judge.
"I think people get someone who knows the community, who knows the issues that we are going through in the community, who is fair, who will listen, who will try to make well-reasoned decisions on behalf of people who are a part of them, who will be open," Rice said. "Those are all the qualities that you want in a judge."
More on Rice is available on her campaign website at www.judyriceforjudge.com .
James Crawley
Crawley has made a name for himself as a personal injury attorney, taking on a number of food poisoning cases in his private practice for the last 12 years. In total, he has been practicing law for nearly 25 years.
Originally from Joliet, Crawley graduated from Loyola University Chicago and attended law school at St. Louis University. He has done extensive volunteer work for AIDS Care Inc, The Jane Addams Hull House Uptown Center and the American Civil Liberties Union, among other organizations.
He has been married to his partner Dan Ingram since 2008, and they have been together for more than 13 years.
Crawley faces a tough race against two Democratic contenders—Andrea Michele Buford and Kelly Maloney Kachmarik.
Buford is already a Circuit Court judge, after she was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2011. She is as former president of the Cook County Bar Association. She was also found "recommended" by LAGBAC.
Kachmarik is an attorney based in the Southwest suburbs focusing on municipal law, civil rights, defense of police officers, personal injury and contract law, according to her website. She declined to appear before the Alliance of Bar Associations for evaluation, so she was found "not-recommended" by LAGBAC.
Crawley told Windy City Times in his October candidate interview that he has the right temperament and sense of justice for the job.
"One of the things that I think differentiates me from a lot of candidates is probably this innate sense of fairness that I feel that I have, a strong sense of integrity that I would bring to the bench," Crawley said. "I want people leaving the courtroom, regardless of whether they're the winner or loser, to walk out knowing they were treated fairly. That's something I think I would be very good at."
More on his campaign is available at: www.crawleyforjudge.org .
The election
Even more challenging than opponents this election, however, might be voter turnout. Susana Darwin, who co-chairs the judicial evaluation committee for LAGBAC, notes that in addition to low enthusiasm for judicial candidates, this year's contenders will be facing off during a relatively minor election season. Without a presidential race to encourage voter turnout, judicial candidates will have to work that much harder to get supporters to the polls.
But Darwin says that getting informed about judicial candidates is worth the effort. Voters should put in the time, she said, to check out the bar association reviews, compiled at voteforjudges.org .
"It's the candidates that choose not to be evaluated that I find incredibly offensive," Darwin said, noting that declining evaluation often leaves voters in the dark about how candidates might measure up in the courtroom.
Litchfield also drove home the importance of studying up for judicial races.
"At some point in your life, everyone has a brush with the law, and you want to make sure a qualified judge is hearing your case," he said.
That, he said, is especially important for LGBT people as the Cook County State's Attorney's office pursues hate crime convictions.
"It's really important to have a judge that's thoughtful on those issues," Litchfield said.
Also see printable election charts at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/pdf/WCT_2014_primarychartsforweb.pdf .
