Illinois Supreme Court Elections: Democrats Seek To Keep Majority

WAUKEGAN, IL — Two decade-long terms on the states highest court are up for grabs Tuesday in races that are set to determine the partisan balance of the Illinois Supreme Court in the coming years.

Polls are closed and vote-counting is underway across a dozen northern Illinois counties as voters select two new Supreme Court justices.

As midnight approached Tuesday, Democrats held leads in both key contests. But they remained took close to call.

The rare pair of open seat contests was triggered by an unprecedented combination: a justice lost a retention vote for the first time ever and state lawmakers redrew the boundaries of court districts for the first time since they were established in 1964.

Democrats contended the change was aimed at making the districts more representative of the state's current population. Republicans argued the majority party redistricted the court in order to keep its majority.

There are five districts and seven members on the Supreme Court. Cook County, or District 1, elects three justices, while the other four districts each elect one.

To maintain their 4-3 majority on the court, Democrats must win at least one of two open seats — in the 2nd and 3rd districts.

The 2nd District includes DeKalb, Lake, McHenry, Kane and Kendall counties, while the 3rd District is composed of Bureau, DuPage, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, LaSalle and Will counties.

In the 2nd District, Lake Forest Democrat Elizabeth Rochford, an appointed associate judge in Lake County, faces Libertyville Republican Mark Curran, a former Lake County sheriff and GOP U.S. Senate nominee.

And in the 3rd District, Mary O'Brien, a former state lawmaker and sitting appellate court justice, faces incumbent Supreme Court Justice Michael Burke, who was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2020.

Illinois has seen the most campaign spending of any state's judicial elections, according to a Brennan Center report. The largest outside Democratic group spent at least $1.5 million, while the biggest-spending independent expenditure group backing Republican candidates has spent $5 million.

Additionally, Gov. J.B. Pritzker gave each of the Democratic candidates $1 million directly to their campaign committee, using his personal trust fund to get around contribution limits.

And last month, a federal judge tossed out restrictions on campaign contributions in judicial races that had kept candidates from accepting donations from residents of other states and capped the amount that could be donated to super PACs involved in judicial elections.

Read more: 2 Suburban Races To Decide Balance Of Power On Illinois Supreme Court

Unofficial Nov. 8, 2022 Midterm Election Results