How to Become an Illinois Judge

The position of judge is just not an easy one to obtain. You may be appointed or you may be elected, but at the end of the day, you are looking at something that takes a long foundation in the legal profession and in the state in question. What kind of judge do you aspire to being and what has made you chose Illinois? Unless these are questions that you can answer for yourself, you'll discover that there are going to be problems. Becoming a judge, no matter what state or county you are going to be practicing in, is something that does not come without time, trial, and effort, so consider what your options are going to be. This is a something that will take a lot of soul searching and at the end of the day, there are going to be many things that might need to be discussed, evaluated or even sacrificed.

First, when you are thinking about becoming an Illinois judge, remember that you need to think about what your options are going to be when it comes to meeting the residency requirements. You need to be a United States citizen, you need to live in Illinois, and you need to be a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois. These seem like fairly straightforward factors, but if you don't meet them, or if you find that you have had some issues in getting the residency, you may find that your fitness and the propriety of your position called into question. This is an important thing to keep in mind, and unless you are ready to take them on one after the other, you are going to have some problems.


Remember that when you want to be an Illinois judge you need to declare yourself for a judicial position in your district. You'll discover that no matter what position you pick, you need to be a resident of the district that you are running in. Take some time to look over the district rules carefully. In some cases, you will need a certain amount of signatures to get you the right kind of nomination. Make sure that you know the rules forward and backward; there is nothing more galling that winning a vote only to be disqualified on the basis of a technicality. Take some time and really get to know these rules.

One thing that many people who have been lawyers find difficult is the actual campaigning part of becoming a judge. It can seem unfair to have your fitness for the position predicated on a popular vote, but the fact of the matter is that this is a fact of life if you want to be a judge. You are going to need to get out there, to convince people to go to the polls, and to make sure that they know who you are. One thing that you need to keep in mind is that you should not neglect the online aspect of this step. Remember that 2008 presidential election had a great deal of media on sites like MySpace and YouTube, and that this played an enormous role in mobilizing whole sectors of the population that were undecided. This can make a difference, so stop and consider what this might mean.

When you are ready to step up and start performing duties as an Illinois judge, remember that you are not a job that is necessarily easy, though it is necessary! Take some time and really consider what your options are going to be and what you can do to get the results that you need.