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Daniel Fitzgerald
Daniel Fitzgerald (Republican Party) ran for election for the 13th Subcircuit judge of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois. Fitzgerald lost in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Fitzgerald completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2018. Click here to read the survey answers.
Elections
2018
General election
General election for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit
Shannon O'Malley defeated Daniel Fitzgerald in the general election for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Shannon O'Malley (D) | 51.4 | 60,758 | |
Daniel Fitzgerald (R)  | 48.6 | 57,453 | ||
| Total votes: 118,211 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit
Shannon O'Malley advanced from the Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Shannon O'Malley | 100.0 | 25,189 | |
| Total votes: 25,189 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit
Daniel Fitzgerald defeated incumbent Michael Gerber in the Republican primary for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit on March 20, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Daniel Fitzgerald | 72.6 | 13,780 | |
| Michael Gerber | 27.4 | 5,213 | ||
| Total votes: 18,993 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan elections
There are 513 judges on the Illinois Circuit Court, each elected in partisan elections to six-year terms. Upon the completion of these terms, judges who wish to continue serving must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections.[1]
The chief judge of each circuit court is selected by peer vote; he or she serves in that capacity indefinitely.[1]
The circuit courts are also served by 391 associate judges, who are limited in that they may not preside over cases in which the defendant is charged with a felony (an offense punishable by one or more years in prison). Associate judges are appointed to four-year terms by circuit judges.[2][1]
Midterm vacancies are filled by Illinois Supreme Court appointment.[1]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[1]
- a U.S. citizen;
- a circuit/county resident; and
- licensed to practice law in Illinois.
Campaign themes
2018
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Daniel Fitzgerald completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Fitzgerald's responses.
What would be your top three priorities, if elected?
I am running for judge because all Cook County residents need to know that their court system works for them. I will make sure that our courts are working for everyone. First, I will be the hardest working judge in the county, running an appropriate court call and working tirelessly to reduce the county's backlog of cases. We need hard-working, dedicated judges who will move cases and give people their day in court. Citizens should have the opportunity to be heard, especially those awaiting trial, and justice should never be unnecessarily delayed, which is often the case in Cook County. Second, I will strive to run a courtroom where people recognize that they can trust their judge to do what is right and equitable, and do so in a respectful way. I have had the privilege of sitting on committees that have evaluated judges, and in every instance one of the most important qualities identified for any judge is "judicial temperament." Judges need to be approachable, professional in their demeanor, objective, and decisive. Over the years, I have worked with and appeared before many judges who have proper judicial temperament, and sadly some who do not. People dread going to courtrooms where judges do not embody these necessary qualities. I believe I have the proper judicial temperament to serve as judge. Third, I believe in our legal system, the rule of law, the supremacy of facts, and the need for the fair administration of justice. I believe strongly that judges ought to apply the law consistently and fairly, not make or rewrite the law to fit their viewpoints. Unfortunately, all too often in Cook County, our judges are not following these principles. You can count on me to be fair and impartial, with no vested interest in who wins. I will simply apply the rule of law to the facts and make decisions in a thoughtful and objective manner.
What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?
There are no specific public policy issues that I will passionately pursue if elected judge. I believe I should be focused on being fair and impartial, and simply follow the rule of law rather than advocating or creating policy. I believe the role of a judge is to apply the law consistently, not make or rewrite law.
What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?
The top qualities that I possess that will make me successful as a Cook County Judge are that I am fair, respectful, hard-working, experienced, and have the right temperament. I am an accomplished litigation attorney with over 25 years of experience in public and private practice. I began my legal career clerking under a Cook County Circuit Court Judge in the Chancery Division. After that experience, I joined the Illinois Attorney General's office as an Assistant Attorney General, where I served for six years. I was then called on to serve the state as Chief Legal Counsel for the Office of the Inspector General and Chief of the Bureau of Administrative Litigation in the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services. I currently work as Senior Counsel for Walgreens. I have been admitted to the General Bar of the State of Illinois and the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and am a Member of the Federal Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois. I am also a Member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Northwest Suburban Bar Association. My experience has properly prepared me for the role of Cook County Judge.
Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?
I am honored to have been rated as qualified or recommended by numerous associations and law groups in Illinois. I have been rated as 'qualified' by the Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois. I have been rated as 'recommended' or 'highly recommended' by the Illinois Civil Justice League, Cook County Bar Association, Decalogue Society of Lawyers, Hellenic Bar Association, Lesbian & Gay Bar Association of Chicago, Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois, and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
| Local courts | Illinois | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
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Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois
State courts:
Illinois Supreme Court • Illinois Appellate Court • Illinois Circuit Court
State resources:
Courts in Illinois • Illinois judicial elections • Judicial selection in Illinois
