Matt Flamm

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Matt Flamm

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

March 17, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Northwestern University, 1975

Law

Georgetown University Law Center, 1978

Personal

Birthplace

Chicago, Ill.

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Matt Flamm (Democratic Party) ran for election for the 13th Subcircuit judge of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois. He lost in the Democratic primary on March 17, 2020.

Flamm completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Flamm was the Democratic candidate for District 54 of the Illinois House of Representatives in the state's November 2, 2010, general election.

Biography

Matt Flamm was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 1975 and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1978. Flamm’s career experience includes working as an attorney.

Elections

2020

See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2020)

General election

General election for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit

Susanne Groebner defeated Gary Seyring in the general election for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susanne Groebner (D)	54.8	84,945
	Submit photo	Gary Seyring (R)	45.2	70,205

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 155,150
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit

Susanne Groebner defeated Joe Gump, incumbent Michael Gerber, Matt Flamm, and Michael Minton in the Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Susanne Groebner	42.6	15,791
		Joe Gump	25.7	9,534
	Submit photo	Michael Gerber	17.0	6,298
		Matt Flamm	8.7	3,213
	Submit photo	Michael Minton	6.0	2,233

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 37,069
= 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 Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit

Gary Seyring defeated Angel Garcia in the Republican primary for Cook County Circuit Court 13th Subcircuit on March 17, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Gary Seyring	72.6	8,783
	Submit photo	Angel Garcia	27.4	3,307

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,090
= 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.

2010

See also: Illinois House of Representatives elections, 2010

Flamm lost to Republican Thomas R. Morrison in the November 2 general election.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Matt Flamm completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Flamm's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have been an attorney in private practice for 41 years. My practice consists primarily of business, real estate, and state and local tax matters. I represent many not-for-profit organizations including charitable, educational, and religious groups. I have saved many homeowners from losing their homes for unpaid real estate taxes. I also handle election law matters. I have helped many candidates get on the ballot. I am the elected Democratic Committeeman for Palatine Township and was an organizer on both Obama campaigns. I have been married for 37 year and have two adult daughters and two young grandsons.

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?

• Justice must be delivered fairly and impartially.
• A judge must work hard to avoid being influenced by implicit bias.
• My experience, including my legal practice and political activity, show that I can be trusted to deliver impartial justice.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Health care reform, criminal justice reform, income inequality, and voter suppression

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

Fairness, compassion, good listening skills, willingness to consider various points of view.

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

To listen carefully to both lawyers and litigants before forming an opinion about a case; to avoid implicit or explicit bias; and to deliver justice with compassion.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I hope people will remember me as someone who helped others.

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

John F. Kennedy was elected when I was seven years old. I remember his inaugural address ("Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country"). I read his book "Profiles in Courage." His positive vision for the United States and the world formed the beginning of my political consciousness and conscience.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Zen Golf. The author is a sports psychologist and a Zen master. His lessons are valuable for life as much as they are for golf.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Being a leader of the Democratic Party in a historically Republican area.

How would you describe your legal philosophy?

Laws must be interpreted and applied in order to accomplish their purpose and to deliver justice, equity, and compassion. Judges are not robots, and they are not slaves to the words used decades or centuries ago when a statute or precedent may have been created.

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

I have been rated Qualified by the Chicago Bar Association. I am awaiting ratings from many other bar associations.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

In my 41 years of practice, I have appeared before excellent judges and terrible ones. I have long wanted to become a judge, but I did not see an opportunity to become a judge until my area turned from Republican to Democratic. Also, two of my opponents ran for the same position as Republicans in 2018. They should not be allowed to fool voters into supporting a Republican masquerading as a Democrat.

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.

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

Coronavirus Weekly Updates Documenting America's Path to Recovery The Heart of the Primaries The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Flamm's campaign website
• Biography from Project Vote Smart
• Flamm's facebook
• Flamm's LinkedIn

Footnotes

Illinois courts

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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