How Judges Are Chosen in Illinois

Illinois Supreme Court justices are first chosen in partisan elections, then keep their seats through yes/no retention elections every 10 years.

• Seats: 7 justices on the Illinois Supreme Court.
• Term: 10 years.
• To serve again: Yes/no retention vote.
• Districts: justices are elected from regions of the state, not statewide.
• Other courts: Appellate and circuit judges are also elected in partisan races and then stand for retention.

Justices are elected from five districts — three seats from Cook County. After the first term they face retention elections.

Compare every state on the judicial selection table.

No Illinois Supreme Court seat is up in 2026. Seats come up on a staggered schedule, so the next race comes in a later year.

Other judges can still be on your ballot. Appellate and circuit judges are also elected in partisan races and then stand for retention. Check your sample ballot for every judicial race where you live.

• Your sample ballot: Illinois’s official election site shows every judicial race on your ballot, including local courts.
• Deadlines and voting options: How to vote in Illinois — registration, early voting, mail ballots and poll hours.
• Candidate details: Ballotpedia tracks each candidate’s background, endorsements and spending; local news and the state bar often publish candidate surveys.

Judicial ethics rules bar candidates from promising how they will rule, so a judge’s record and experience usually say more than campaign ads. This site does not endorse or rate candidates.

Illinois’s senators: Richard Durbin (Democratic) and Tammy Duckworth (Democratic).

• Northern District of Illinois: seat of John Joseph Tharp (senior, Sep 30, 2026) — no nominee yet.