The 2018 Illinois judicial elections consisted of both partisan and
retention elections, including those for one seat on the
Supreme Court of Illinois
The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...
and five seats in the
Illinois Appellate Court
The Illinois Appellate Court is the court of first appeal for civil and criminal cases rising in the Illinois Circuit Courts. Three Illinois Appellate Court judges hear each case and the concurrence of two is necessary to render a decision. The ...
.
Primary elections were held on March 20, 2018, and general elections were held on November 6, 2018.
[ These elections were part of the 2018 Illinois elections.
]
Supreme Court of Illinois
Justices of the Supreme Court of Illinois are elected by district. One seat held a retention election.
The court has seven seats total separated into five districts. The first district, representing Cook County
Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
, contains three seats, making it a multi-member district, while other four districts are single-member district
A single-member district is an electoral district represented by a single officeholder. It contrasts with a multi-member district, which is represented by multiple officeholders. Single-member districts are also sometimes called single-winner vo ...
s.
Retention elections
To be retained, judges were required to have 60% of their vote be "yes".
Illinois Appellate Court
Illinois Appellate Court justices hold ten-year terms.
4th district (Appleton vacancy)
Incumbent Peter C. Cavanagh, who was appointed in May 2017 to fill the vacancy left when Tom Appleton resigned his seat, won reelection. This was a special election for two years, as Appeton's term would have ended in 2020.
Democratic primary
No Democratic primary was held, as no candidates filed to run.
Republican primary
Due to the time the vacancy was created being so close to the May 6 filing date for candidates to make the ballot,
General election
4th district (Pope vacancy)
Incumbent Republican Thomas M. Harris, Jr., who was appointed in July 2017 to fill the vacancy left when Carole Pope resigned her seat, won reelection, running unopposed in both Republican primary and general election. This was a special election for four years, as Pope's term would have ended in 2022.
Democratic primary
No Democratic primary was held, as no candidates filed to run.
Republican primary
General election
5th district
Republican David K. Overstreet was elected to fill the vacancy that was created after Richard P. Goldenhersh retired in 2017.[ This was a regular election, as Goldenhersh's term would have expired in 2018.
]
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Retention elections
To be retained, judges were required to have 60% of their vote be "yes".
Lower courts
Lower courts also saw judicial elections.[
]
References
{{Illinois elections
Judicial
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudication, adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and app ...
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...