(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Seven justices serve on Illinois’ Supreme Court, and two of the seats are now up for grabs.
The first vacancy is in the 2nd District, which includes Lake, McHenry, Kane, Kendall, and DeKalb counties.
“In 2020, Thomas Kilbride was not retained, and so the court appointed Robert Carter in his place,” said John Lupton, Executive Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission. “Robert Carter's not running for full election, so this is a completely open election for his seat.”
Former Republican Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran is running against Lake County Judge Elizabeth Rochford, a Democrat.
Meantime, there’s an open seat in the 3rd District, which is made up of some southern and western collar and Central Illinois counties.
“In 2020, Robert Thomas retired from the court, and so that left an open seat and the court appointed Michael Burke in his place,” added Lupton. “So, he is now running for full election.”
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Burke, a Republican, is being challenged by Democratic Illinois Appellate Justice Mary Kay O'Brien.
Both Illinois Supreme Court races have become incredibly expensive, with political action committees and candidates spending millions.
Douglas Keith, counsel in the Judiciary Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, says the state is no stranger to big money races.
“Illinois has the inglorious honor of holding the record for the most expensive judicial elections ever in the country,” he said.
The 2020 judicial retention election saw around $10 million, which Keith believes was part of a long-term plan leading up to this year’s midterms.
“The folks on the right that wanted to unseat the sitting justice in his retention election. They knew that if they won that election, that was not the end of the game. That would just create a competitive election this cycle.”
That’s because the partisan balance of the state’s highest court could shift from Democratic to Republican for the first time since 1970. Currently, Democrats hold a 4-3 edge on the court.
Justices are elected to serve for 10 years with retention races held every 10 years after that.
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