Challenger says lawsuit to remove judges from ballot has cost him $40,000

The person who challenged three St. Clair County judges who chose to run for re-election instead of retention says the legal battle has cost him $40,000 so far.

“I’m doing this because it’s the best thing to do,” said Dallas Cook, Belleville city clerk and a Republican candidate for St. Clair County circuit clerk.

Cook said the legal case against the judges is now with the 4th Appellate Court in Springfield on an accelerated basis. The appeal resulted from a decision in Sangamon County Circuit Court upholding the candidacies of Chief Judge John Baricevic and circuit judges Robert Haida and Robert LeChien on the grounds that nothing in the state constitution prevents a qualified judicial candidate from running in the general election, even if he or she avoids the retention election.

A judge seeking retention must get 60 percent of the vote, while election requires only a simple majority.

“I’ve gone into debt for $40,000,” said Cook, who has sponsored a fundraiser at Big Daddy’s on East Main Street for Thursday from 6-8 p.m.

Two groups that oppose the candidacies of the three St. Clair County judges demonstrated Wednesday outside the St. Clair County Courthouse with Cook.

“It’s a scheme to keep the hands of power with one political party,” said Mary Thurman of Citizens for Honest Judges, an informal group headed by a three-person board including Thurman. She is secretary to the St. Clair County Republican Party, and the three judges are Democrats. Also attending were a few members from the group Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch. About a dozen protesters in all showed up.

Baricevic has said that by running in the general election, he potentially exposed himself twice to voters — in a primary election and the general election — and gives the voters a better chance to elect their judges.

Cook’s attorney has argued before the Illinois Board of Elections, and before a circuit judge in Sangamon County, that the intent of the state constitution is that a judge run only once to get elected and then runs for retention on his or her record.

None of the judges faced a primary challenger, and only Baricevic and LeChien have opponents in the November election.

Attorney Ron Duebbert is running against Baricevic, and former Democrat associate judge Laninya Cason is running against LeChien. Duebbert and Cason are Republicans.

Cook, who brought the lawsuit, said if his case fails in the appellate court, he will appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.

This story was originally published March 23, 2016 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Challenger says lawsuit to remove judges from ballot has cost him $40,000."