Illinois intermediate appellate court elections, 2026
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The terms of seven Illinois intermediate appellate court judges will expire on December 7, 2026. Five seats are up for retention election on November 3, 2026. Another two seats is up for partisan election on November 3, 2026. The primary election for the partisan races is March 17, 2026. The filing deadline for major party candidates to run in the partisan election is November 3, 2025. If a vacancy occurs on the court between October 13 and November 3, 2025, a special filing deadline will be set for November 24, 2025. The filing deadline for judges to file for retention is May 3, 2026. Independent and new party candidates have until May 26, 2026, to file for partisan races.
Judges with expiring terms
- This is a list of the judges who must stand for partisan or retention election in 2026 in order to remain on the bench. Judges may choose not to stand for election. The list is subject to change if judges retire or are appointed.
Illinois First District Appellate Court
Illinois Third District Appellate Court
■ Matthew G. Bertani
■ Joseph P. Hettel
Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court
Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court
■ John B. Barberis Jr.
■ James R. Moore
■ James Hackett
Candidates and results
Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:
- Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
- Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies
Illinois First District Appellate Court
Bertina Lampkin's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Illinois Third District Appellate Court
Adrienne W. Albrecht vacancy
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Joseph Hettel's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court
James Knecht's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court
James Moore's seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
John Barberis' seat
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
James Hackett's seat
General election
The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.
General election for Illinois 5th District Appellate Court
Incumbent Amy Sholar is running in the general election for Illinois 5th District Appellate Court on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Amy Sholar (R) | |
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Voting information
- See also: Voting in Illinois
Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.
Selection
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.[1]
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.[1]
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.[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes
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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