March 11, 2014 – Former state legislator Ellis Levin is on a list of 276 applicants for at least five associate judge seats in Cook County Circuit Court.

Applications are accepted whenever the number of associate judge vacancies reaches a certain point. A nominating committee of circuit judges narrows downs the list to twice the number of open positions. All of the circuit judges then vote.

Earning $169,893 per year for a four-year term, associate judges can hear any type of case but unless they have permission from the Illinois Supreme Court they cannot hear criminal cases in which the prison term is one year or longer.

Suggestions to applicants offered in a 2010 Illinois Bar Journal article include patience, as it can take two to five years to be appointed.

Applications have been due for more than a year. The exact number of vacancies is not known. The last time associate judges were chosen was in 2012, when there were nine vacancies.

As of Monday, the associate judge vacancies had not been filled, according to a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Judge.

According to Chief Judge Timothy Evans, the nominating committee “traditionally encourages the public to submit written comments concerning any of the associate judge applicants so that it may properly consider that information.”

Comments may be sent to the Circuit Court of Cook County Nominating Committee in care of Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans, 2600 Richard J. Daley Center, Chicago, Illinois 60602.

Levin served in the Illinois General Assembly from 1977 to 1995. In 2012, he lost an election for Circuit Court judge, finishing fourth out of six candidates.

In the past four years, Levin has been fired as attorney for three condo associations, including Marina Towers Condominium Association.

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