Illinois Third District Appellate Court
| Illinois Appellate Court Districts |
|---|
 |
The Illinois Third District Appellate Court is one of five districts of the Illinois Appellate Court. It covers the following seven counties in the northeast part of Illinois: Bureau, DuPage, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, LaSalle, and Will.[1][2]
- Published opinions of the Illinois Appellate Court can be found here.
| Illinois Third District Appellate Court | |||
 | |||
| Court information | |||
| Judges: | 7 | ||
| Founded: | 1877[3] | ||
| Salary: | Associates: $281,331[4] | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Partisan election of judges | ||
| Term: | 10 years | ||
Judges
The Illinois Third District Appellate Court has six elected judges. The Illinois Supreme Court may assign additional judges to the court, as needed, selecting retired or circuit court judges to hold office temporarily. Circuit court judges assigned to the Court of Appeals continue to hold their lower court office and run for retention to their circuit court seat.[5]
Elected judges
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court | John C. Anderson | Democratic | December 2, 2024 |
| Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court | Liam C. Brennan | Nonpartisan | December 5, 2022 |
| Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court | Linda E. Davenport | Nonpartisan | December 22, 2022 |
| Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court | Joseph P. Hettel | Nonpartisan | January 1, 2025 |
| Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court | William Holdridge | Nonpartisan | December 5, 1994 |
| Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court | Lance R. Peterson | Nonpartisan | August 1, 2022 |
Assigned judges
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court (Assigned) | Matthew G. Bertani | Nonpartisan | January 1, 2025 |
Salary
- See also: Illinois court salaries and budgets
In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $281,331, according to the National Center for State Courts.[6]
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Illinois
Judges on the appellate 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.[7]
Qualifications
To serve on the appellate court, a judge must be:
Presiding judge
The judges of each division select a presiding judge by peer vote to serve a one-year term.[7]
Vacancies
In the event of a midterm vacancy, the Illinois Supreme Court is responsible for appointing an interim judge. If a judge is appointed more than 60 days before the next primary election, the judge must run in a partisan election in the next general or judicial election to remain on the court. The appointed judge's term will end on the first Monday in December after their election. If a judge is appointed less than 60 days before the next primary election, the judge will have to run in a partisan election to remain on the court in the second general election. The appointed judge's term will end on the first Monday in December after their election.[7]
Elections
See also: Illinois intermediate appellate court elections, 2030
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
See also: Illinois intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
Joseph Hettel's seat; Mary McDade vacancy
General election
The primary will occur on March 17, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Margaret O'Connell (D) and John Pavich (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Margaret O'Connell | ||
| John Pavich | ||
| ||||
 = 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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Republican primary
Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Jason Helland (R) and Mark Senak (R) are running in the Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Jason Helland | |
| Mark Senak | ||
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Adrienne W. Albrecht vacancy
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
See also: Illinois intermediate appellate court elections, 2024
Regular election: Daniel Schmidt vacancy
General election
General election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Incumbent Lance R. Peterson (D) defeated John F. Costello Jr. (R) in the general election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Lance R. Peterson (D) | 50.0 | 450,589 |
| John F. Costello Jr. (R) | 50.0 | 450,377 | ||
| Total votes: 900,966 | |||
| = 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
Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Incumbent Lance R. Peterson (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Lance R. Peterson | 100.0 | 102,552 |
| Total votes: 102,552 | |||
| = 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
Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
John F. Costello Jr. (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | John F. Costello Jr. | 100.0 | 92,389 | |
| Total votes: 92,389 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Regular election: Mary Kay O'Brien vacancy
General election
General election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Incumbent Linda E. Davenport (D) defeated Jason Helland (R) in the general election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Linda E. Davenport (D) | 51.5 | 465,319 |
| | Jason Helland (R) | 48.5 | 437,954 | |
| Total votes: 903,273 | |||
| = 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
Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Incumbent Linda E. Davenport (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Linda E. Davenport | 100.0 | 104,138 |
| Total votes: 104,138 | |||
| = 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
Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Jason Helland (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jason Helland | 100.0 | 92,426 |
| Total votes: 92,426 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Regular election: Tom Lytton vacancy
General election
General election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
John C. Anderson (D) defeated Kenton Skarin (R) in the general election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | John C. Anderson (D) | 51.2 | 462,754 |
 | Kenton Skarin (R) | 48.8 | 440,671 | |
| Total votes: 903,425 | |||
| = 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
Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
John C. Anderson (D) defeated incumbent Joseph P. Hettel (D) in the Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John C. Anderson | 64.3 | 68,214 |
 | Joseph P. Hettel | 35.7 | 37,955 | |
| Total votes: 106,169 | |||
| = 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
Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Kenton Skarin (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 19, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kenton Skarin | 100.0 | 92,612 |
| Total votes: 92,612 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Retention election: William Holdridge's seat
Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
William Holdridge was retained to the Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on November 5, 2024 with 76.9% of the vote.
Retention Vote | % | Votes | |
| ✔ | Yes | 76.9 | 548,099 |
| No | 23.1 | 164,877 | |
| Total Votes | 712,976 |
 | The results have been certified. Source |
See also: Illinois intermediate appellate court elections, 2022
Retention election: Schmidt's seat
General election
Daniel Schmidt ran for retention to the Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on November 8, 2022.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Daniel Schmidt (Nonpartisan)
Regular election: Wright vacancy
General election
General election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Incumbent Liam C. Brennan (R) defeated Sonni Williams (D) in the general election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Liam C. Brennan (R) | 52.2 | 351,044 | |
| Sonni Williams (D) | 47.8 | 321,968 | ||
| Total votes: 673,012 | |||
| = 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
Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Sonni Williams (D) defeated James Murphy (D) in the Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sonni Williams | 53.1 | 59,372 | |
| James Murphy | 46.9 | 52,408 | ||
| Total votes: 111,780 | |||
| = 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
Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Incumbent Liam C. Brennan (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Liam C. Brennan | 100.0 | 120,523 | |
| Total votes: 120,523 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
See also: Illinois intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court
Mary McDade was retained to the Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on November 3, 2020 with 76.1% of the vote.
Retention Vote | % | Votes | |
| ✔ | Yes | 76.1 | 580,382 |
| No | 23.9 | 182,318 | |
| Total Votes | 762,700 |
| The results have been certified. Source |
Ethics
The Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Illinois. It consists of four canons:
- Canon 1: "A judge shall uphold and promote the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary and shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all of the judge's activities."
- Canon 2: "A judge shall perform the duties of judicial office impartially, competently, and diligently."
- Canon 3: "A judge shall conduct the judge's personal and extrajudicial activities to minimize the risk of conflict with the obligations of judicial office."
- Canon 4: "A judge or judicial candidate shall not engage in political or campaign activity that is inconsistent with the independence, integrity, or impartiality of the judiciary."[8]
The full text of the Illinois Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.
Removal of judges
Judges in Illinois may be removed in one of two ways:
- By the Illinois Courts Commission, which may hold a hearing upon a complaint from the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board[9]
- By a two-thirds vote of the Illinois State Senate upon a majority vote for impeachment by the Illinois House of Representatives[10]
Redistricting
| Illinois Appellate Court Districts |
|---|
|
New state supreme court district maps were signed into law by Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) on June 4, 2021. The Illinois Supreme Court lifted a pause order on this map on Jan. 1, 2022, resulting in its full implementation. This was the first time the state updated its judicial districts map since they were first enacted in 1964.[11]
An image of the enacted state Supreme Court district map appears on the right. Click here for an interactive viewer of the enacted Supreme Court map.
State profile
| Demographic data for Illinois | ||
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 12,839,047 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 55,519 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 72.3% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 14.3% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 16.5% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 87.9% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $57,574 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 16.8% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Illinois. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Illinois
Illinois voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 11 are located in Illinois, accounting for 5.34 percent of the total pivot counties.[12]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Illinois had 11 Retained Pivot Counties, 6.08 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Illinois coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Illinois
- United States congressional delegations from Illinois
- Public policy in Illinois
- Endorsers in Illinois
- Illinois fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Illinois Appellate Court General Information," accessed April 30, 2024
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Illinois Judicial District Map," accessed April 30, 2024
- ↑ Four Illinois appellate court districts were founded in 1877, but they were reorganized into five districts in 1964. See: Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, "History of the Illinois Courts," accessed July 8, 2014
- ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Appellate Court," accessed August 6, 2025
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "2025 Salaries and Rankings," accessed October 8, 2025
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed September 8, 2021
- ↑ State of Illinois, "Code of Judicial Conduct," accessed July 17, 2023
- ↑ State of Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 17, 2023
- ↑ Constitution of the State of Illinois, "ARTICLE IV," accessed July 17, 2023
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Illinois Supreme Court lifts hold on judicial redistricting," Dec. 8, 2021
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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
