Elizabeth Ryan

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Elizabeth Ryan

Democratic Party

Cook County Circuit Court

Tenure

2022 - Present

Term ends

2028

Years in position

2

Predecessor

Cheyrl Ingram

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

University of Illinois, Champaign, 1999

Law

DePaul College of Law, 2003

Personal

Birthplace

Chicago, Ill.

Religion

Catholic

Profession

Trial attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Elizabeth Ryan (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. She assumed office on December 5, 2022. Her current term ends on December 4, 2028.

Ryan (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Ryan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Elizabeth Ryan was born in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, Champaign in 1999 and a J.D. from the DePaul College of Law in 2003. Her career experience includes working as a trial attorney.

Elections

2022

See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2022)

General election

General election for Cook County Circuit Court

Elizabeth Ryan won election in the general election for Cook County Circuit Court on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elizabeth Ryan (D)	100.0	1,018,729

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,018,729
= 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.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court

Elizabeth Ryan defeated Yolanda Harris Sayre in the Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court on June 28, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Elizabeth Ryan	53.4	236,957
	Submit photo	Yolanda Harris Sayre	46.6	206,896

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 443,853
= 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.

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2020)

General election

General election for Cook County Circuit Court

Kelly Marie McCarthy won election in the general election for Cook County Circuit Court on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kelly Marie McCarthy (D)	100.0	1,539,700

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,539,700
= 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

Kelly Marie McCarthy defeated Elizabeth Ryan, incumbent James Derico Jr., and Aileen Bhandari in the Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kelly Marie McCarthy	30.7	207,167
		Elizabeth Ryan	25.8	173,996
	Submit photo	James Derico Jr.	24.0	161,957
		Aileen Bhandari	19.5	131,949

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 675,069
= 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.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Elizabeth Ryan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ryan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Elizabeth "Beth" Ryan attended night school at DePaul College of Law. She has been found qualified and/or recommended by all the reviewing bar associations because she has spent her entire career in the courtroom. She started her legal career eighteen years ago as a judicial clerk in the Chancery Division of Cook County. She then was hired by a plaintiff's law firm representing individuals that are injured and disabled. Ms. Ryan owns and operates her own law firm and has successfully tried many jury trials to verdict. She is a trained mediator through the Illinois State Bar Association and has been a guest speaker at Kent College of Law. She spends her spare time coaching girls basketball and served a three year term on her local school board.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Everyone that appears in my courtroom will be treated fairly with the respect they deserve.
• Cook County needs more judges on the bench that are qualified and have experienced the courtroom so they can make fair and educated rulings.
• The law should be applied fairly to each litigant fairly regardless of their background or life circumstances

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that everyone should have equal access to the court system. Streamlining the litigation process and making resources readily available would allow for individuals to navigate the legal system. Many of my clients feel overwhelmed by the costs, time and money associated with litigation. Cases can last years and cost of litigation is astronomical. Judges must ensure that the case is moving in a timely manner so that cases can be resolved and people can move on with their lives.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I admire my mom who dedicated 25 years of her life to teaching kids with learning disabilities in the Chicago Public School system. It was her mission to ensure that all kids received quality education, even those kids that had special needs and required more resources. She was an advocate for those children and fought to ensure they obtained the help and resources in order to thrive in our school system.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am a hardworking individual who has a calm demeanor.
I try to see the good in all people and give them the benefit of the doubt.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I have four daughters, and I want to demonstrate to them that you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When I was twelve years old the Berlin Wall came down and I remember observing the excitement of all of the German citizens. At the time I did not fully comprehend that at that time, this was symbolic of the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a judicial clerk for Judge Agran in the Chancery Division of Cook County for two years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens is my favorite book because it is about a young woman who raises herself and faces challenges in her life that are difficult to comprehend.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

I would like to be Spider Man. I think the ability to solve crime with those superhero abilities would be exciting.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

" Girl on Fire" by Alicia Keys.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Like many woman, at times in my career, I struggle with the home/work balance. Although I feel compelled to succeed professionally, often times I feel guilty for missing key events in my girl's lives due to work conflicts.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

There are gray area in the law which leaves room for judicial discretion. For that reason, I think it is important that we elect judges that have experience in the courtroom and have a full understanding of how their decisions greatly impact the lives of litigants and their attorneys.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

I believe that our legal system should be means by which individuals can obtain justice. This can be accomplished by ensuring that the judiciary is comprised of experienced trial attorneys who understand the pressures that attorneys and litigants face in our legal system. Judges should not only rule in accordance with the law, but they must also consider individuals' backgrounds and life circumstances when making decisions.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Judge Martin Agran in the Circuit Court of Cook County is someone I admire. When I graduated law school, he hired me as his judicial clerk in the Chancery Division. He was assigned many complex civil matters that required a lot of research and review. His work ethic and demeanor are something that I admire greatly and I hope I can replicate these qualities when I am on the bench.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

Empathy is an important trait to have as a judge. Many of my clients are mentally ill, homeless, disabled and injured. When interacting with my clients who have those types of challenges, it is important to be empathetic and supportive. As a judge, I would apply the law fairly to each litigant that appears before me and ensure that I remain empathetic to the struggles that they face on a daily basis.

Have you ever been rated by a Bar Association? If so, what was the rating?

I have been found qualified and/or recommended by all the bar associations.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I am running in the Ingram vacancy in the Circuit Court of Cook County because Judge Ingram retired, therefore creating an opening.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe the less political experience a judicial candidate has, the better. A judge should remain neutral and independent when making decisions.

Government employment however, depending on the position, may prove to be beneficial. I was a judicial clerk in the Circuit Court of Cook County and it provided me insight as to the day to day operations of a courtroom and the challenges that government employees face.

What is your primary concern about today's legal system in your state?

Due to COVID, we are experiencing a backlog of cases and I am concerned that cases are not getting resolved at the rate they previously were. We will need more resources and judges to ensure that cases move along.

What do you consider the greatest opportunity for the legal system in your state?

I believe that the introduction of Zoom hearings has made the courtroom more accessible to pro se litigants. When individuals have access to the court system, they then have a better understanding of how our legal system works and that is a great opportunity to showcase the efficiency and fairness of our legal process.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

I would not rule out running for a higher court position in the future. However, I would like to first establish myself at the the Circuit Court level and prove that I am a fair and hardworking judge.

Do you believe that Bar Association ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge’s ability?

I do believe that bar ratings are an accurate reflection of a judge's ability.

Tell us your favorite joke.

Why do we tell actors to "break a leg"? Because every play has a cast.

My daughter is in theatre and it makes her laugh every time.

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.

2020

Elizabeth Ryan did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

See also

2022 Elections

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Government

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External links

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Candidate

Cook County Circuit Court

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Footnotes

Illinois courts

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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