Illinois Supreme Court justice vacancy (November 2022)
| Illinois Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Burke vacancy |
| Date: November 30, 2022 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Joy Cunningham |
| Date: September 12, 2022 |
The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Joy Cunningham to the court on September 12, 2022. Cunningham succeeded Anne M. Burke, who retired on November 30, 2022.[1] Cunningham's term was effective December 1, 2022, through December 2, 2024.[2]
At the time of the vacancy under Illinois law, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed replacement justices.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Illinois Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2022.
The appointee
- See also: Joy Cunningham
Joy Cunningham began her career as a judicial clerk for Illinois Appellate Justice Glenn Johnson. She later worked as an assistant attorney general, a lawyer for the firm of French, Rogers, Kezelis & Kominiarek, and as associate general counsel for Loyola University of Chicago and the Loyola University Health System. She then became a judge on the Cook County Circuit Court, where she served until 2000. From 2000 until her election to the appellate court, she was the senior vice president, general counsel, and corporate secretary for the Northwestern Memorial System.[3]
Cunningham received her bachelor's degree from the City University of New York and her J.D. from John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 1982.[4]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Illinois
The seven justices of the Illinois Supreme Court are chosen by popular vote in partisan elections and serve 10-year terms, after which they must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections to remain on the court.[5]
Supreme court justices in Illinois are elected to represent specific districts. The seven justices are divided among five districts (three allocated to Cook County and the others divided evenly among the other four districts) and are voted into office by the residents of their respective regions.[5]
Qualifications
To serve on the supreme court, a judge must be:
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is chosen by peer vote to serve a three-year term.[5]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the Illinois Supreme Court is responsible for appointing an interim justice. If a justice is appointed more than 60 days before the next primary election, the justice must run in a partisan election in the next general or judicial election to remain on the court. The appointed justice's term will end on the first Monday in December after their election. If a justice is appointed less than 60 days before the next primary election, the justice will have to run in a partisan election to remain on the court in the second general election. The appointed justice's term will end on the first Monday in December after their election[5]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Illinois Supreme Court
Justices
Following Burke's retirement, the Illinois Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ P. Scott Neville | Appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2018 | |
| ■ Mary Jane Theis | Appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2010 | |
| ■ David K. Overstreet | Elected in 2020 | |
| ■ Michael Burke | Elected in 2020 | |
| ■ Lisa Holder White | Appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2022 | |
| ■ Robert Carter (Illinois) | Appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2020 |
About the court
Founded in 1818, the Illinois Supreme Court is the state's highest court and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Mary Jane Theis.
As of December 2022, five judges on the court were Democrats and two judges were Republicans.
The court meets in the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield, Illinois on the second Monday in September, November, January, March, and May.[6]
In Illinois, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
About Justice Burke
- See also: Anne M. Burke
Justice Burke joined the Illinois Supreme Court in 2006. She was appointed to the court by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Before serving on the state supreme court, Burke was appointed to the Illinois Court of Claims, where she served as a judge from 1987 to 1994. She was then appointed special counsel to the governor for child welfare services. In 1995, she was appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court, First District, where she served until her state supreme court appointment in 2006.[4]
Burke earned a B.A. in education from DePaul University in 1976. She received a J.D. from IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1983.[4]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2022
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2022
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2022. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2021.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Illinois Supreme Court, "CHIEF JUSTICE ANNE M. BURKE ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT FROM ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE JOY V. CUNNINGHAM TO FILL VACANCY," September 12, 2022
- ↑ ABC 7 Chicago, "Chief Justice Anne Burke announces retirement from Illinois Supreme Court," September 12, 2022
- ↑ Official biography of Judge Cunningham
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Illinois Courts, "Anne M. Burke," accessed July 2, 2021
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed September 8, 2021
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Supreme Court," accessed September 8, 2021
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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
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