Nadine Jean Wichern

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Nadine Jean Wichern

Democratic Party

Cook County Circuit Court 20th Subcircuit

Tenure

2024 - Present

Term ends

2030

Years in position

0

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 5, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

Indiana University, 1997

Personal

Birthplace

Anaheim, Calif.

Profession

Attorney

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Nadine Jean Wichern (Democratic Party) is a judge for the 20th Subcircuit of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois. She assumed office on December 2, 2024. Her current term ends on December 2, 2030.

Wichern (Democratic Party) ran for election for the 20th Subcircuit judge of the Cook County Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois. She won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

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

Biography

Nadine Jean Wichern was born in Anaheim, California. She earned a bachelor's degree from Indiana University in 1997. Her career experience includes working as an attorney. Wichern has been affiliated with the Appellate Lawyers Association as a director, the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Bar Foundation as a fellow, The Appellate Project, the DePaul University Moot Court Alumni Board, and the Uniform Law Commission.

Elections

2024

See also: Municipal elections in Cook County, Illinois (2024)

General election

General election for Cook County Circuit Court 20th Subcircuit

Nadine Jean Wichern won election in the general election for Cook County Circuit Court 20th Subcircuit on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nadine Jean Wichern (D)	100.0	98,236

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 98,236
= 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 20th Subcircuit

Nadine Jean Wichern defeated Michael Zink, Nickolas Pappas, and John Poulos in the Democratic primary for Cook County Circuit Court 20th Subcircuit on March 19, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nadine Jean Wichern	51.0	21,524
		Michael Zink	23.1	9,764
	Submit photo	Nickolas Pappas	21.8	9,213
	Submit photo	John Poulos	4.1	1,719

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,220
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Wichern in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Nadine Jean Wichern completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Wichern'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 Nadine Jean Wichern and I have spent my entire 23-year legal career in public service.

Since 2015, I have served as Chief of the Civil Appeals Division in the Illinois Attorney General's Office. As Chief, I lead 24 attorneys who handle all civil appeals for the State, and its officials and employees, which cover diverse areas of law, including constitutional issues. I also assist trial attorneys in developing litigation strategies, counsel the Administration on emerging issues, and advise general counsels of state agencies.

I joined the Attorney General’s Office as an Assistant Attorney General in 2001, after a clerkship with Judge William J. Bauer on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. In 2005, I completed a United States Supreme Court Fellowship with the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, D.C. And I was an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Appeals Division of the City of Chicago’s Department of Law between 2005 and 2011, before returning to the Attorney General's Office as a supervisor in 2011.

I taught legal writing courses for 11 years, present at continuing legal education programs, and contribute to legal treatises. I am involved in several bar associations and serve as a mentor high school and law students.

I grew up in Anaheim, California, and attended Indiana University and DePaul University College of Law. I have lived within what constitutes the 20th Subcircuit for 26 years.

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?

• I am running for judge because it is a natural extension of the public service that I have been doing for 23 years. My interest in the law was sparked after seeing my parents suffer through a mortgage foreclosure on my childhood home and my mother having to file for bankruptcy after my father's death. I am committed to doing justice for everyday people.
• I will decide cases without personal or political agenda. Judges have been increasingly disparaged in public discourse and I will bring my integrity and credibility in the legal community to the role of judge.
• I will listen to all parties and fully explain my decisions as judge. Many people do not understand the legal system, and I will endeavor to ensure that all litigants understand my procedures. I also will use the platform as a judge to educate the public about the system and engage with the community.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a judge, I would not have policy positions, but instead would apply the facts to the law without personal or political agenda.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I am the first in my family to graduate from college and law school. It is important for me to build a legacy for my family and leave the world in a better place than I found it. I would like to be known as a kind and decent person who tried to bring people together.

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

My brother, who had Down Syndrome, passed away when I was two, and he was four, years old. My father passed away when I was a freshman in law school, and my mother passed away during my first year of law school, leaving me as the only member of my immediate family at the age of 23. Thankfully, I have many good friends and a wonderful husband who bring joy to my life.

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

I admire The Honorable Judge William J. Bauer (ret.) who sat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. I had the great honor of interning for Judge Bauer during law school, and clerking for him after law school. He inspired me to devote my legal career to public service and served as a mentor to me over the years. He was an empathetic jurist who understood the human condition. He was smart and took the job, but not himself, seriously.

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

I have been rated "Qualified" or "Recommended" by 15 bar associations.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Personal PAC

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.

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Candidate

Cook County Circuit Court 20th Subcircuit

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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