Expert: Abolish partisan elections for Illinois judges

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The state of Illinois may be synonymous in popular culture with political corruption, but a new paper from a University of Illinois legal expert adds another layer: With popularly elected judges, Illinois courts are similarly mired in legalized influence peddling and partisanship. Political influence pervades and taints Illinois courts, mirroring the state's corruption-prone legislative and executive branches, said Michael LeRoy , a professor of labor and employment relations at Illinois. "Since Illinois doesn't use merit selection for judges, structural influences taint the independence of Illinois courts," said LeRoy, who also holds a courtesy appointment with the College of Law. "Illinois simply labels judges by their political party. So the courts are then shaped by the Democratic and Republican parties as well as the General Assembly, which sets judicial salaries at near-record levels." According to the paper, only eight states have partisan elections for their state supreme courts. In addition, Illinois is among only 13 states with no merit commission for judges, and among only 11 states with partisan elections of general jurisdiction judges.