This November, three of Illinois’ seven Supreme Court justices will ask voters to give them new 10-year terms in office. Although these non-partisan retention elections traditionally have been quiet affairs where voters have sent judges back to the bench for another term in office, this year may be quite different.

Medical malpractice and business groups have indicated they oppose the retention bid of Justice Tom Kilbride, a Democratic justice from the 3rd judicial district who is completing his first term. Kilbride supporters include the Democratic Party of Illinois, which helped fund the justice’s election campaign in 2000.

The nationwide trend of increased spending in judicial campaigns, in addition to the 2004 Supreme Court election in Illinois’ 5th judicial district – where the campaigns shattered national fundraising records – suggests that Kilbride’s retention bid will be no sleepy or cheap affair.

Judicial elections are being used by both interest groups and political parties to fight policy battles. As a result, it is difficult for voters to make sense of the judicial elections at hand, the source of the campaign advertisements being aired, and the issues being discussed.

ICPR seeks to fill this void by explaining the retention election process and helping to identify the source of campaign money. ICPR takes no position on whether Kilbride or any Supreme Court justice should be retained.

2010 Judicial Retention Watch | Illinois Judicial Election System | Retention elections present additional set of concerns | The Ballooning Costs of Judicial Campaigns | The Negative Impact of Judicial Campaign Spending | Kilbride's 2000 Election | Learn More