Openly gay attorney Tom Doran wants to continue his work in public service as a Cook County Circuit Court Judge ( Montelione Vacancy ) .
Doran has served in the City of Chicago Law Department for 14 years, and is currently senior counsel. He belongs to the Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago, and is also on the Chicago Bar Association's committee for the legal rights of lesbians and gay men.
Windy City Times: Tell me a little about your background. You are senior counsel in the city of Chicago's law department?
Tom Doran: Yes. Over the course of my career there, I've been able to try hundreds of cases. What I do now is I oversee administration actions that are appealed in Circuit Court. I also file enforcement actions on behalf of administrative orders. I also carry my own litigation cases. So, the last eight years, I've also worked closely with the Chicago Commission on Human Relations. The attorneys there, I supervise them myself. I'm one of the one responsible for defending any of the decisions challenged in court and enforcing any of their orders. That's money damages to victims of discrimination, for either employment or housing in the city of Chicago or to enforce orders ordering businesses to modify their physical premise to make it wheelchair accessible, things like that.
WCT: After many years of that, what kind of prompted you to decide that the next step is to become a judge?
TD: Well, you know, when I got out of law school, it was kind of funny, because when I was in law school, I started interviewing with large law firms because that seems to be the route that a lot of people take. After a couple of weeks of doing that, I was very unhappy, so I stopped. I also, that same semester, had started working in the clinic through the University of Iowa, which did a lot of work with trying to get unemployment benefits for people. It was sort of a clinic for people who couldn't afford legal services. I think that I made a decision to go into government work because I really do believe that government can do good things for people. So, for me, it's just a natural progression from my choice 15 years ago. I've worked as a lawyer. I've handled, literally, thousands of cases, and I think that I'm ready to take the next step for government service.
WCT: What do you think you can bring to the bench that your two opponents cannot? What do you think is your main advantage?
TD: I think that I have an expert education, great experience, and I have a wonderful temperament. I think those three things are very important to be a good judge. I will say that I'm independent. I'm not being backed by anyone, and I'm not part of the political machine, if you want to call it that. For me, I think that's an advantage. I pride myself in being independent and speaking my mind and saying what I believe and acting as I believe and not being beholden to anyone. I'm very proud of that. I think that, if elected, I would bring that sense of fairness and fair play and I would do what I think is right.
WCT: A lot of people say that it's very important, especially when it comes to judges, for them to be independent.
TD: Absolutely. Look, I'm from the state of Iowa. I don't know if you're familiar with the Varnum decision. [ An Iowa District Court judge ruled that under certain guarantees made in the Iowa Constitution, it's unlawful to ban same-sex marriage in the state ] . Think about it. It was a state court judge that wrote a very well-reasoned opinion that literally could change the state of marriage in what is a pretty conservative state. So, it is very important to get well-qualified, smart people into these positions. … I'm hoping that the Supreme Court upholds it.
WCT: You spoke of qualities you feel are important for a judge to have. How important is it for the community that we have openly gay judges and have that kind of representation on the bench?
TD: I think it's incredibly important. I really believe that as more and more people see gay men and women in different roles, jobs and positions in society, it's just going to help those who may think that they don't know gay people or that they've got a stereotypical view of gay people, and I really think it's vital for us to achieve full civil rights. It can be positions as ministers or judges or anything. The more exposure we as the gay community have, I really believe the better it is for all of us.
WCT: Do you think it is rapidly changing in the courtrooms, or is it kind of been slow progress that we've been making?
TD: … I've never been in the closet at work. [ When I first started ] I would hear insensitive comments or jokes made. Maybe it's because people now know that I'm gay, but I don't hear that anymore. I think even in the last 15 years, the perception has changed. I think that it's been more of those positive role models in movies and society. I think back when I was a kid on farm in Iowa and the only portrayals of gay people that you'd have were just so negative. As a young person, it makes you kind of feel bad about yourself. I think it's exciting that if a teenager now can go to the movies and see a positive model, or go into the courtroom and say, oh, the judge is gay and he's proud of it! I think that's so important. It's amazing. … . On a global scale, it's still pretty terrible for most people in the world to be gay. I think we're slowly but surely moving along in this country.
WCT: What are some of the most important issues the LGBT community still faces in the courtroom?
TD: You know, as a judicial candidate, you can't say how you'd rule on any certain things. But I do think that the two most important issues are recognition of a person's status as gay and recognition of the relationships that they form. If you stop and think about how unfair it is—take myself for example, who has been in a relationship for 14 years, and fortunately I can get benefits for my work. … I get all the married person can get because they are straight. At a lot of places, you can't get that. You know, I think that once our status is recognized and we're granted full civil rights, we're going to come a long, long way. It will improve society so much, and it will improve people's individual lives so much, and there is a long, long ways to go for that. People still suffer discrimination.
WCT: It hasn't been very long that we've had state laws, even.
TD: Think about that. It's just mind-boggling. It's 2006 these laws are being passed.
WCT: One thing I wanted to ask you is what you think your main disadvantages are. Your opponents are party heavyweights. Also, what do you think puts you ahead of the game despite their big resumes?
TD: Well, it is a disadvantage going up against a slated candidate or an endorsed candidate. It's just the way politics works. The judicial races, unfortunately, … a lot of people go in and they don't even vote for the judicial races. I think that if people really look at the candidates and study their backgrounds and what they're looking for in a candidate, I think that works to my advantage. All three of us have different backgrounds and perspectives. I think, for the LGBT community, I'm qualified and I'm gay. I'm hoping that the community will turn out and vote.
