Race for judge costs $6.5 million
By LEN WELLS Courier & Press correspondent

October 31, 2004
On Tuesday, voters in 37 Southern Illinois counties will be asked to choose a new Illinois Supreme Court Justice for the Fifth District, in a race that pits Democratic candidate Gordon Maag against Republican Lloyd Karmeier.
To get their message to the voters, the candidates have hauled in a record $6.5 million in campaign funds to buy scores of television ads, radio spots and direct mail brochures. Before applying a pending cost-of-living increase, the salary for an Illinois Supreme Court Justice is set at $158,103.
Karmeier came into the race as the underdog, as the Democrats hold a 5-2 majority in the court. No Republican has won the Fifth District Supreme Court seat since 1969.
Maag, a Fifth Judicial District Appellate Court Justice, is heavily supported by trial lawyers. His background includes employment with the Lakin and Herndon law firm in Wood River, Ill.
Karmeier, a 20th Judicial Circuit Judge in Washington County, is giving up his seat on the bench to run for Supreme Court Justice. He is backed by business and tort reform supporters. Major fund-raising contributors to Karmeier's candidacy include the Illinois State Medical Society, Illinois Hospital Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Tort Reform Association, Illinois Civil Justice League and the Catterpillar Corporation.
The latest figures show Karmeier has gathered a little more than $4 million in campaign contributions.
Maag's biggest contributors include a string of private law firms, including $250,000 from Lakin and Herndon. His fund-raising totals, according to officials with the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, have hit $2.5 million. Political leaders in all 37 counties included in the Fifth District are watching Tuesday's election closely. Under Illinois' system of judicial selection, the Supreme Court Justice for the district is responsible for filling vacancies on the lower courts, including resident and associate judge positions in each downstate county.
Concerned about the appearance of being too closely connected to special interest groups, much of the money donated to each candidate's campaign has been funneled through the Democrat and Republican state parties. The arrangement allows each candidate to distance themselves from special interest groups.
Earlier this year, lawyers in the Fifth District were asked to rank each candidate on a series of qualifications for the job. Karmeier received a "highly qualified" rating from the Illinois State Bar Association poll. Maag was given a "qualified" ranking.