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Mary Kay O'Brien
2022 - Present
2032
2
Mary Kay O'Brien (Democratic Party) is a judge for the 3rd District of the Illinois Supreme Court. She assumed office on December 5, 2022. Her current term ends on December 6, 2032.
O'Brien (Democratic Party) ran for election for the 3rd District judge of the Illinois Supreme Court. She won in the general election on November 8, 2022.
O'Brien was a judge of the Illinois Third District Appellate Court from 2003 to 2022.
Biography
Mary O'Brien was born in Kankakee, Illinois. O'Brien earned a B.S. in political science and public administration from Western Illinois University and a J.D. from the University of Illinois in 1993. Her career experience includes working as an attorney (associate and later partner) at the law firm of Cortina, Mueller & O’Brien, and as a partner in the firm of O'Brien and Smith. O'Brien was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1996 and served until December 2003.[1][2]
Elections
2022
See also: Illinois Supreme Court elections, 2022
General election
General election for Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District
Mary Kay O'Brien defeated incumbent Michael J. Burke in the general election for Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Mary Kay O'Brien (D) | 51.1 | 349,164 |
 | Michael J. Burke (R) | 48.9 | 333,669 | |
| Total votes: 682,833 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District
Mary Kay O'Brien advanced from the Democratic primary for Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Mary Kay O'Brien | 100.0 | 110,882 |
| Total votes: 110,882 | |||
| = 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 election
Republican primary for Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District
Incumbent Michael J. Burke advanced from the Republican primary for Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District on June 28, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Michael J. Burke | 100.0 | 122,598 |
| Total votes: 122,598 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2014
O'Brien was retained to the Third District Appellate Court with 79.3 percent of the vote on November 4, 2014. [3]
Evaluations
The Illinois State Bar Association rated O'Brien as Recommended for retention in a 2014 poll.[4]
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Mary Kay O'Brien did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
State supreme court judicial selection in Illinois
- 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.
See also
External links
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Candidate Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District |
Officeholder Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "O'Brien, Mary K.," accessed January 16, 2023
- ↑ Mary O'Brien 2022 campaign website, "Background," accessed January 16, 2023
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "List of judges seeking retention in the November 4, 2014 general election," accessed May 8, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Bar Association, "Judicial Evaluations," October 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," 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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