Jon Stromsta
Jon Stromsta (Democratic Party) is running for election for the 20th Subcircuit judge of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois. Stromsta is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2026.[source]
Stromsta completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jon Stromsta graduated from Muskegon High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1981 and a law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1984. Stromsta's career experience includes working as an administrative law judge.[1]
Elections
2026
See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2026)
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.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court 20th Subcircuit
Belle Katubig (D) and Jon Stromsta (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court 20th Subcircuit on March 17, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Belle Katubig | ||
 | Jon Stromsta  | |
| ||||
| = 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
The Republican primary scheduled for March 17, 2026, was canceled.
Endorsements
Stromsta received the following endorsements. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D)
- State Rep. Ann M. Williams (D)
- State Treas. Mike Frerichs (D)
- Chicago Federation of Labor
- 40th Ward Democrats
- 46th Ward Democrats
- 47th Ward Democrats
2020
See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2020)
General election
General election for Cook County Circuit Court 10th Subcircuit
Maire Aileen Dempsey won election in the general election for Cook County Circuit Court 10th Subcircuit on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Maire Aileen Dempsey (D) | 100.0 | 101,402 | |
| Total votes: 101,402 | |||
| = 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 10th Subcircuit
Maire Aileen Dempsey defeated John Garrido and Jon Stromsta in the Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court 10th Subcircuit on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Maire Aileen Dempsey | 49.6 | 27,839 | |
| John Garrido | 30.1 | 16,918 | ||
| Jon Stromsta | 20.3 | 11,407 | |
| Total votes: 56,164 | |||
| = 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
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jon Stromsta completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Stromsta's responses.
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Upon graduation, I served as a Judicial Law Clerk with United States District Judge Harold Baker in the Central District of Illinois. I have lived in Chicago and have been a member of the Illinois Bar for 40 years. I then worked in large and small law firms, an in-house law department and government agencies, and have litigated a wide variety of civil and criminal cases in Illinois and around the country. My civil cases included product liability, negligence, commercial, employment, intellectual property, injunctions, employee benefits and related appeals. My criminal cases included state post-coviction and federal habeas corpus proceedings and related appeals. A significant number of those criminal cases were on behalf of persons facing death sentences.
My increasing interest in the adjudicative process led me first to serve as a panel arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and then to become an Administrative Law Judge. I conducted 6 to 8 evidentiary hearings in benefits appeals each day and wrote those decisions. I subsequently joined the Department's Board of Review where I review appeals from those benefits decisions.- I am running for Judge because courts should be a place where fairness, due process, and the Rule of Law prevail for everyone, particularly at a time when those ideals are continually under attack. I want to bring my steadiness, experience, and compassion to the bench — ensuring accountability and protecting public safety while making sure our courts offer real opportunities for people to build better futures.
I am running a campaign that is non-traditional for judicial candidates. I am knocking on hundreds of doors every day and engaging in conversations with people who have never met a judicial candidate or judge before I showed up at their front door.
I will continue that level of community engagement and accessibility after I win. - The values instilled in me from my upbringing have guided my career and will guide me on the bench. My paternal grandfather was a member of the United Auto Workers, and my parents and siblings were union members. Consistent with this family ethos, dinner table conversations often centered on world affairs and questions of fairness and responsibility to the community. Those early discussions contributed to my running for judge. In my 40-year practice, the judges who most influenced me were those who were truly engaged and who cared about the cases and parties before them. I will be a judge who cares with my sole intention to serve my community.
- I am guided by a deep belief that judges must be fair, honest and free from bias. Fair judges understand that our legal system has not always treated all communities equally and that historically under-resourced communities have often faced harsher outcomes. Being impartial doesn’t mean ignoring that reality – it means being conscious of it so it does not quietly shape decisions. Judges should not legislate from the bench or transition to political activists. But they do have a responsibility to recognize implicit bias, examine each case on its individual facts, and apply the law thoughtfully and consistently so that outcomes are based on evidence and law, and not upon stereotypes, assumptions, or unequal access to resources.
To give you a better sense of who I am: I am particularly passionate about environmental protection. I enjoy outdoor activities, particularly hiking, cycling and snowshoeing, all of which are dependent on and the preservation of our environment.
Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council
International Union of Operating Engineers - Local 399
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers - Local 134
Congressman Mike Quigley
Illinois State Treasurer Mike Frerichs
State Senator Sara Feigenholtz
State Representative Ann Williams
Cook County Commissioner Bridget Degnan
Alderman Matt Martin
Alderman Andre Vasquez
Democratic Committeeperson Maggie O’Keefe
Democratic Committeeperson Lucy Moog
Democratic Committeeperson Sean Tenner
Democratic Committeeperson Paul Rosenfeld
40th Ward Democrats
46th Ward Democrats
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
Jon Stromsta did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on February 1, 2026
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
