Sharon Oden-Johnson
2020 - Present
2030
4
Sharon Oden-Johnson (Democratic Party) is a judge of the Illinois 1st District Appellate Court. She assumed office on December 7, 2020. Her current term ends on December 2, 2030.
Oden-Johnson (Democratic Party) ran for election for judge of the Illinois 1st District Appellate Court. She won in the general election on November 3, 2020.
Oden-Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Oden-Johnson was previously a judge of the Cook County 1st Subcircuit in Illinois from 2010 to 2020.[1]
Oden-Johnson was a 2014 Democratic candidate to the Illinois First District Appellate Court.[2][3]
Biography
Sharon Oden-Johnson was born in Chicago, Illinois. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Bradley University in 1992 and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law in 1995. Oden-Johnson’s career experience includes working as a judge on the Cook County Circuit Court, as an attorney with the Law Office of S. D. Oden, and as a contract negotiator with the Chicago Mayor's Office of Employment and Training.[4]
Elections
2020
See also: Illinois intermediate appellate court elections, 2020
General election
General election for Illinois 1st District Appellate Court
Sharon Oden-Johnson won election in the general election for Illinois 1st District Appellate Court on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Sharon Oden-Johnson (D)  | 100.0 | 1,603,179 |
| Total votes: 1,603,179 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Illinois 1st District Appellate Court
Sharon Oden-Johnson defeated incumbent John C. Griffin in the Democratic primary for Illinois 1st District Appellate Court on March 17, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sharon Oden-Johnson | 52.4 | 395,022 |
| John C. Griffin | 47.6 | 358,226 | ||
| Total votes: 753,248 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Judges of the Illinois Circuit Court stand for retention after their first full term. To be retained, a judge must receive at least 60 percent of the vote.[5][6] Sharon Oden-Johnson was retained in the Illinois Cook Circuit Court, Sharon Oden-Johnson Retention Election with 77.14 percent of the vote.
| Illinois Cook Circuit Court, Sharon Oden-Johnson Retention Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Sharon Oden-Johnson | 77.14% | |
| Source: Illinois Board of Elections, "Elections Results, General Election 11/8/2016," accessed November 28, 2018 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan elections
There are 513 judges on the Illinois Circuit Court, each elected in partisan elections to six-year terms. Upon the completion of these terms, judges who wish to continue serving must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections.[7]
The chief judge of each circuit court is selected by peer vote; he or she serves in that capacity indefinitely.[7]
The circuit courts are also served by 391 associate judges, who are limited in that they may not preside over cases in which the defendant is charged with a felony (an offense punishable by one or more years in prison). Associate judges are appointed to four-year terms by circuit judges.[8][7]
Midterm vacancies are filled by Illinois Supreme Court appointment.[7]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[7]
- a U.S. citizen;
- a circuit/county resident; and
- licensed to practice law in Illinois.
2014
- See also: Illinois judicial elections, 2014
Oden-Johnson ran for election to the Illinois First District Appellate Court.
Primary: She was defeated in the Democratic primary on March 18, 2014, receiving 45.9 percent of the vote. She competed against John B. Simon.[2][9][10]
2010
- See also: Illinois judicial elections, 2010
Oden-Johnson won election to the Cook County 1st Subcircuit after running unopposed.[11][12]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Sharon Oden-Johnson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Oden-Johnson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
| Collapse all
- Justice must be applied in a way that is practical and takes into account the mitigating, cultural, and societal concerns .
- All bar associations in Cook County, Illinois have found me to be Qualified for the Appellate Court.
- I am experienced in the law, committed to the people I serve, and fair in the administration of justice.
I obtained the job through the Chicago Summer Jobs program. It was not until later that I learned that these jobs were reserved for students of families with limited income. I recall being excited to work so that I could save money to purchase school clothes in the fall. At the end of the summer, my friend and I would ride the bus downtown to go shopping to buy our own school clothes. I always felt a sense of accomplishment, but did not know that having the job was indicative of my family's class/station in society.
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
External links
|
Candidate Illinois 1st District Appellate Court |
Officeholder Illinois 1st District Appellate Court |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Illinois Circuit Court Judges By Circuit," accessed April 9, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate List- General Primary," March 18, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Official Canvass, General Primary Election," March 18, 2014
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on March 5, 2020
- ↑ Illinois State Bar Association, "Judicial Evaluations - How it works," accessed November 19, 2019
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Illinois," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Illinois," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ State of Illinois, "About the Courts in Illinois," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago, "General Primary Election, Unofficial Summary Report," March 18, 2014, archived March 21, 2014
- ↑ Cook County Clerk, "Gubernatorial Primary Election," March 18, 2014, archived March 21, 2014
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "General Election Results," 2010
- ↑ Cook County Elections, "Judicial Subcircuit Election Results," 2010
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