Linda E. Davenport

Linda E. Davenport is a judge of the Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court. She assumed office on December 22, 2022. Her current term ends on December 4, 2034.

Davenport (Democratic Party) ran for re-election for judge of the Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Davenport completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Linda E. Davenport was born in Muscatine, Iowa. She graduated from Lyons Township High School. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado in 1975 and a law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1978. Her career experience includes working as a judge. She has been affiliated with the DuPage County Bar Association and the DuPage Association of Women Lawyers.^[1]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court

Incumbent Linda E. Davenport defeated Jason Helland 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

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 903,273
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court

Incumbent Linda E. Davenport advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Linda E. Davenport	100.0	104,138

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	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.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court

Jason Helland advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jason Helland	100.0	92,426

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	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.
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Campaign finance

Endorsements

To view Davenport's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Davenport in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Linda E. Davenport completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Davenport's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Linda Davenport and I have been a lawyer for 45 years and a judge for the last 18 years. After I finished law school, I started my own firm and it grew over the next 26 years to employ seven attorneys and multiple support staff. As a lawyer, I was active in my community serving on the Wheaton City Council and library board and running the PADS program for the unhoused at my church every Sunday night for 15 years. In 1995 I was sworn in as the first female president of the DuPage County Bar Association in its 117 year history. From 1999 - 2006, I served on the trial panel of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission which regulates the conduct of lawyers. In 2006 I was appointed an associate judge and in addition to my duties, I taught at the Judicial College for Illinois Judges. In 2018 I ran to become an elected circuit court judge and won, becoming the first Democrat elected in 179 years. In 2022, I was unanimously selected by the Illinois Supreme Court to fill the vacancy on the 3rd District Appellate Court when Justice Mary K. O'Brien won her seat on the Supreme Court. I have served on that court since then and I’m running to earn your support to remain your experienced, qualified and impartial Justice on the Appellate Court.

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?

From the White House to the Courthouse, vote for the most experienced, qualified and impartial Justice for Illinois' 3rd Appellate District.
Judges have never been as important as they are now. We need to know about their experience, their values and their commitment to the Rule of Law.
No one is above the law. I have spent my entire career working for those who deserve a fair case. It has been my distinct honor to serve in this capacity. With your vote, our judicial system can remain fair and impartial.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe our court system must be transparent in the application of the law equally and clearly. To accomplish that, I would like to work in communities to make sure people understand how the court system works. While serving as our Appellate Court Justice, we invited students from the College of DuPage to sit in during hearings. You could hear a pin drop in that room - every student was eager to learn how the law was applied to real cases. It is our responsibility as Justices to be one with our community and make the courtroom accessible to all those who are interested in learning.

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

Justice Ruth B. Ginsburg. She was an extraordinary trial lawyer who pushed boundaries and advanced the law.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Movie - The Verdict

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An elected official must remember who they work for and why someone trusted them to elect them in the first place. As a judge, I cannot rule based on the wishes of my constituents, but only upon the law. Being elected the first Democrat in the DuPage County Circuit Courts in 179 years was more than just winning an election. It made it clear that people want a Justice who believes in applying the law fairly and justly, no matter who is in front of me.

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

I have been a judge since 2006 and I believe I’m a better judge today than I was 18 years ago. I continue to learn and how to acquire the knowledge and skills to do my job better. The willingness to learn is critical to this job.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The judge must know the law, must know the history of how the law has evolved and be extraordinarily motivated to listen.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like for people to believe that I was fair and that I listen to all sides before I made a ruling.

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

The Assassination of President Kennedy. I was in fifth grade and I remember my teacher crying.

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

McDonald’s for one year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln because President Lincoln surrounded himself with people who didn’t always agree with him, but were honest with him.

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

I believe the Appellate should consider holding hearings throughout the district to allow individuals the opportunity to watch the court and observe arguments before the court, as I believe it would be instructive.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

The law is a living, breathing and dynamic record of our history and evolvement as a society. It is not a stagnant unbending document.

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

Justice Thurgood Marshall.

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

Yes.

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

Yes. Over 15 times. I believe I was always recommended or highly recommended.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I was appointed to this seat to fill the vacancy of Justice Mary K. O’Brien when she won election to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2022. I am choosing to run to retain my seat because I believe I am the most qualified for the job. In order to maintain a fair and responsible court system, I am seeking your support to continue my work in the Appellate Court.

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

No. I believe the best qualifications are smart people who have varied life experiences and who show an equal amount of experience as they do empathy.

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

I’m very proud of the court system in Illinois. There are approximately 1,000 judges in Illinois. About 940 of them are trial judges who handle everything from traffic cases to felonies to million dollar verdicts in all of the 102 counties. If one of the claimants loses at the trial level, they have a right to appeal to one of the five appellate districts. There are only 56 justices throughout the state in those five Appellate districts. After the Appellate Court, there are 7 justices of the Illinois Supreme Court.

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

The greatest opportunity is to make sure every individual has access to the courts. We could do so by expanding legal aid, improving electronic court filing systems, and making sure courthouses are appropriately staffed to be able to meet everyday concerns. While the pandemic threw a wrench in nearly all aspects of public life, it did provide the court system to the people's work online which was extremely helpful for working families and individuals who could not afford to take off a day of work for court hearings. Expanding the availability for people to attend their court hearings online meant more cases could be heard.

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

No.

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

Not necessarily. Quite often the percentage of lawyers who respond is extraordinarily low so you will get a few lawyers who can drive the ratings down. I think a better avenue would be for an individual to talk with a lawyer who actually appears in front of that judge to get an honest opinion as to the judge’s qualities and faults.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Personal PAC, IFTA, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, Congresswoman Robin Kelly, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, Congressman Bill Foster, Congressman Sean Casten, Congressman Chuy Garcia, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Senator Dick Durbin, AFL CIO, Letter Carriers, Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

As it pertains to judges, our salaries are matters of public record. We each take an oath and as part of that oath, we are required to disclose any gifts that we receive and any potential conflict of interest on a case. I would like to see that enforced at all levels of the judiciary, both state and federal.

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.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Linda E. Davenport campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court	Won general	$222,799	$149,082
Grand total			$222,799	$149,082
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 14, 2024

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 14, 2024

[1]

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Linda E. Davenport

Contents

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Illinois 3rd District Appellate Court

Campaign finance

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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Public Policy

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