Sunday, October 31, 2010

Incredible Supreme Court Judge/Retention Election in Third Judicial District

There is a multi-million dollar media campaign regarding the retention of a Supreme Court Judge.  WGN-TV had the story at 9:00 on Friday. The Dean of the DePaul Law School is supporting the judge who is facing very deep pockets who want him gone.  Advertizing recommending a “No vote on retention” talks about Kilbride’s  weakness on crime however the issue appears to be medical malpractice limits.    Many in the legal profession as well as organized labor believe the judge is being treated unfairly and are contributing to Kilbride’s campaign fund.  Unlike other political candidates, a judge cannot contribute to his own campaign.


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Editorial from Quad City Online:  End circus; retain Supreme Court Justice Kilbride

The opposition appears centered primarily around Justice Kilbride's vote with the majority to reject a hard-fought medical malpractice law. Let us say from the outset, we too were disappointed with the 4-2 decision to reject limits on claims. But the place to fight that battle is not in the court of public opinion.

Those are not the only deep pockets involved in this race. Justice Kilbride's campaign reports raising from July 1 to Oct. 3 $1.8 million, $1.25 million from the Democratic Party of Illinois and another chunk from labor unions. Devoting such massive sums of money to a judicial race is obscene even in the best of times and these times are hardly that.

Click on the following for more of this editorial:  Editorial: End circus; retain Kilbride - Quad Cities Online

 

More information from the public record.

The following taken from the Illinois State Board of Elections:  http://www.elections.il.gov/campaigndisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?id=15176

Kilbride for Supreme Court Judge Committee
D-2 Pre-election Report
2010 GE
7/1/2010 to 10/3/2010

RECEIPTS


1.
Individual Contributions: 
a. Itemized
$306,800.00

b. Not-Itemized $26,067.46

2. Transfers In:  a. Itemized $1,534,250.00

b. Not-Itemized $1,275.00

3. Loans Received:  $0.00

4. Other Receipts: a. Itemized $0.00

b. Not-Itemized $488.00

TOTAL RECEIPTS (1-4)
$1,868,880.46


5.
In-Kind Contributions:
a. Itemized $2,905.64

b. Not-Itemized
$363.50

TOTAL IN-KIND
$3,269.14

Besides the $1.25 from the Illinois Democratic Party, the following labor organizations have made sizeable contribution.

Illinois Political Action Committee for Education
100 E Edwards Street
Springfield IL, IL 62704-1999
$50,000.00
Transfer In

Kilbride for Supreme Court Judge Committee

Illinois Federation of Teachers COPE
500 Oakmont Lane
Westmont, IL 60559
$150,000.00
Individual Contribution



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