7 candidates are on the ballot. One ballot can carry several appellate seats, and the note below sets out which contest is which. For each judge: the record, any official performance evaluation, and the arguments published for and against them.
No Illinois Supreme Court seat is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. What is on it are Illinois Appellate Court seats — and none of them is voted on statewide. The Appellate Court's 54 judges are divided among five judicial districts, and a voter only sees the races in their own district. The First District is Cook County; the other four cover the rest of the state. Illinois appellate judges first win a ten-year term in a partisan election, with a party label printed on the ballot, and after that run in uncontested nonpartisan retention elections where voters answer yes or no and a judge needs 60% yes to stay on. Both kinds are on this ballot. Partisan elections for three vacant seats: First District (Cook County), for the seat left by the death of Justice Thomas E. Hoffman in July 2025 — Cook County circuit judge Judith C. Rice (D), with no opponent identified; Third District, for the McDade vacancy — La Salle County circuit judge Jason A. Helland (R) against DuPage County circuit judge Margaret 'Peggy' O'Connell (D); Fifth District, for the Welch vacancy — Justice Amy E. Sholar (R), with no opponent identified. Retention: Justice Bertina Lampkin in the First District, Justice James A. Knecht in the Fourth District, and Justice John B. Barberis Jr. in the Fifth District. Ballotpedia counts five appellate retention questions statewide; only these three could be confirmed from a named public source, and the other two are named as an unknown below. Roster from the Illinois State Bar Association's 2026 general election judicial evaluations, Injustice Watch's Cook County retention list, and WTTW's primary voter guide. The ISBA evaluations and advisory-poll scores recorded below are the opinions of that bar association and of the lawyers who chose to answer its survey, not official state ratings — Illinois does not run a statutory judicial performance commission.
7 candidates · ballot order · Bertina Lampkin currently holds this seat
Medium confidenceMedium confidenceThe candidate's stated positions and basic record are documented, but coverage is thin — often little independent reporting, or criticism from only one side.What would raise it: More independent reporting, a documented voting record, or published criticism from a named opponent would raise this.
What they say they stand for
Their own words. Claims, not verified facts.
Trial-court experience in the domestic violence division as preparation for the appellate bench.
Handling the criminal, civil and family appeals that come to the First District from Cook County courts.
Broader representation on the appellate court.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, presiding in the domestic violence division.
Slated by the Cook County Democratic Party for the First District Appellate Court vacancy.
Advanced from the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary for the Hoffman vacancy.
The vacancy arose from the death in July 2025 of Justice Thomas E. Hoffman, who had been elected to a new ten-year term in 2024.
Rated Qualified by the thirteen Chicago and Illinois bar associations that jointly screen Cook County judicial candidates, as summarised by WTTW News.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Whether Rice has a general-election opponent could not be confirmed; no Republican or independent candidate for this seat was named in any source reviewed.
The Illinois State Bar Association had not published Cook County evaluations for the 2026 general election at the time of research; only its outside-Cook report was available.
No published criticism of Rice by name was found. Searched: Injustice Watch, WTTW News, NBC Chicago, the Chicago Bar Association's judicial voter guide and Chicago Sun-Times coverage.
Prosecutorial and civil trial experience as preparation for the appellate bench.
Problem-solving courts — he helped establish the Grundy County mental health court.
Handling the criminal and civil appeals that come from Third District trial courts.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Circuit judge, La Salle County, elected 2022; currently sits in the civil division.
State's Attorney of Grundy County; previously an assistant state's attorney in Kankakee County.
Helped establish the Grundy County mental health court.
Law degree, John Marshall Law School; admitted to the Illinois bar in 2003.
Won the March 17, 2026 Republican primary for the Third District Appellate Court.
The Illinois State Bar Association's judicial evaluations committee rated him Recommended for this seat, reporting that attorneys described him as compassionate and fair and noted his professionalism and promptness. This is the bar association's own opinion, not a state rating.
In the ISBA judicial advisory poll of lawyers who chose to respond (140 respondents), he scored 62.02 on recommendation, 74.22 integrity, 71.54 impartiality, 68.75 temperament, 67.97 legal ability, 77.97 court management, 69.92 sensitivity to diversity and bias — an overall result the ISBA reports as Recommended.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of Helland by name was found. Searched: Illinois Democratic Party material, the O'Connell campaign, the Illinois State Bar Association evaluations, NBC Chicago and regional Illinois coverage.
No campaign website for Helland was located.
Illinois does not run a statutory judicial performance evaluation commission; the ratings above are a bar association's.
Felony trial-court leadership as preparation for the appellate bench.
Prosecutorial and state government legal experience.
Handling the criminal and civil appeals that come from Third District trial courts.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Circuit judge, DuPage County, elected 2020; presiding judge of the felony division.
Former assistant state's attorney, DuPage County; former assistant attorney general; formerly in private practice.
Law degree, John Marshall Law School; admitted to the Illinois bar in 1991.
Won the March 17, 2026 Democratic primary for the Third District Appellate Court.
The Illinois State Bar Association's judicial evaluations committee rated her Recommended for this seat, reporting that attorneys described her as fair and prompt and noted her knowledge of the law. This is the bar association's own opinion, not a state rating.
In the ISBA judicial advisory poll of lawyers who chose to respond (213 respondents), she scored 73.89 on recommendation, 78.54 integrity, 75.96 impartiality, 70.67 temperament, 74.52 legal ability, 76.47 court management, 81.00 sensitivity to diversity and bias — an overall result the ISBA reports as Recommended.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No published criticism of O'Connell by name was found. Searched: Illinois Republican Party material, the Helland campaign, the Illinois State Bar Association evaluations, NBC Chicago and regional Illinois coverage.
No campaign website for O'Connell was located.
Illinois does not run a statutory judicial performance evaluation commission; the ratings above are a bar association's.
Two years of assigned service on the Fifth District Appellate Court as direct preparation for the seat.
Prosecutorial, municipal and private practice experience.
Handling the criminal and civil appeals that come from southern Illinois trial courts.
What they’ve actually done
Documented record from official sources.
Circuit judge, Madison County, appointed 2021 and elected 2022; assigned to the Fifth District Appellate Court since 2024.
Former lawyer for the Madison County State's Attorney's office and for the City of Alton; formerly in private practice.
Law degree, Saint Louis University School of Law; admitted to the Illinois bar in 2002.
Former member of the Board of Trustees of the Southern Illinois University System.
Won the March 17, 2026 Republican primary for the Fifth District Appellate Court.
The Illinois State Bar Association's judicial evaluations committee rated her Highly Recommended for this seat, reporting that attorneys described her as fair, well-prepared and thoughtful and noted her even temperament. This is the bar association's own opinion, not a state rating.
In the ISBA judicial advisory poll of lawyers who chose to respond (185 respondents), she scored 84.18 on recommendation, 93.22 integrity, 87.57 impartiality, 93.06 temperament, 85.63 legal ability, 88.51 court management, 93.53 sensitivity to diversity and bias — an overall result the ISBA reports as Recommended.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
Whether Sholar has a general-election opponent could not be confirmed; no Democratic or independent candidate for this seat was named in any source reviewed, and the ISBA evaluated only Sholar for it.
No published criticism of Sholar by name was found. Searched: Illinois Democratic Party material, the Illinois State Bar Association evaluations, Belleville News-Democrat and regional southern Illinois coverage.
Justice, Illinois Appellate Court, First District (Cook County).
The only appellate court judge on the Cook County retention ballot in November 2026, alongside sixty circuit court judges.
Illinois appellate judges must win 60% of the yes-or-no vote to be retained for another ten-year term.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
The Illinois State Bar Association had not published its Cook County evaluations for the 2026 general election at the time of research, so no bar rating of Lampkin's retention was available. Injustice Watch's Cook County judicial election guide, which covers retention judges in detail, was expected in late September 2026.
No organised campaign for or against Lampkin's retention was found. Searched: Injustice Watch, WTTW News, NBC Chicago, the Chicago Bar Association's judicial voter guide and Chicago Sun-Times coverage.
Justice, Illinois Appellate Court, Fourth District, for forty years; previously eight years as a circuit judge and three as an associate judge.
Law degree with honours, University of Illinois College of Law; admitted to the Illinois bar in 1973.
The Illinois State Bar Association's judicial evaluations committee recommends him for retention, reporting that he is well respected by peers and courtroom personnel, treats parties and lawyers with respect and fairness, and is well prepared for oral argument. This is the bar association's own opinion, not a state rating.
In the ISBA judicial advisory poll of lawyers who chose to respond (38 respondents), he scored 81.58 on recommendation, 86.84 integrity, 81.08 impartiality, 86.84 temperament, 89.19 legal ability, 91.67 court management, 91.89 sensitivity to diversity and bias — an overall result the ISBA reports as Recommended.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign for or against Knecht's retention was found, and no criticism of him by a named person or group was found. Searched: the Illinois State Bar Association evaluations, Illinois Times, The Pantagraph, NBC Chicago and Capitol News Illinois.
The advisory poll drew only 38 respondents, a small sample the ISBA reports as such.
Illinois does not run a statutory judicial performance evaluation commission; the ratings above are a bar association's.
Justice, Illinois Appellate Court, Fifth District (southern Illinois).
Was offered the opportunity to take part in the Illinois State Bar Association's judicial evaluation and declined; the association states that without the candidate's cooperation it cannot fully evaluate his qualifications and therefore cannot recommend him for retention. This is the bar association's own position, not a state rating or a finding of misconduct.
In the ISBA judicial advisory poll of lawyers who chose to respond (36 respondents), he scored 55.88 on recommendation, 68.57 integrity, 55.56 impartiality, 74.29 temperament, 54.29 legal ability, 64.52 court management, 65.63 sensitivity to diversity and bias — an overall result the ISBA reports as Not Recommended.
Illinois appellate judges must win 60% of the yes-or-no vote to be retained for another ten-year term.
Arguments in favor
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
Arguments against
We found none published about this candidate in the sources reviewed.
What we couldn’t verify
No organised campaign either for or against Barberis's retention was found, and no judicial conduct finding against him was found. Searched: the Illinois State Bar Association evaluations, the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, the Belleville News-Democrat, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Capitol News Illinois.
No statement from Barberis explaining why he declined to take part in the ISBA evaluation was found.
The advisory poll drew only 36 respondents, a small sample the ISBA reports as such.
Illinois does not run a statutory judicial performance evaluation commission; the ratings above are a bar association's.
Positions and criticism are quoted from the named sources, not our assessments. This is built to help you start getting informed — confirm the official candidate list with your election authority before you vote.
This is one contest on a longer ballot
A Illinois ballot also carries state legislative districts, county offices, judicial seats and often local questions — and which of them you vote on is decided by your street address, not your city or ZIP code.
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Illinois State Board of Elections.