Cook County Circuit Court Judge Andrea M. Buford faces a retention vote on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot.

In a retention race, voters decide whether to keep a sitting judge on the bench. A "yes" vote retains the judge; a "no" vote removes her. There is no opposing candidate. Buford was last retained in November 2020 with 78.7% of the vote, receiving 1,282,698 yes votes and 348,058 no votes, according to Ballotpedia.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Cook County Circuit Court judge (retention)
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Education: High school diploma, Aquinas Dominican High School (1974); bachelor's degree in speech, Northwestern University (1978); juris doctor, Illinois Institute of Technology (1986)
  • Residence: Lifelong Chicago resident

Experience and public service

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Buford to the bench in April 2013, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Pamela Hill-Veal, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. She has served as a Cook County Circuit Court judge since that appointment.

In 2025, she was elevated to acting presiding judge of the Child Protection Division. She also chairs the Special Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Courts and serves on the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial College's Committee on Guardians Ad Litem.

Before joining the bench, Buford practiced civil defense litigation, representing corporations and municipalities, including Fortune 500 companies and insurance companies, in tort, commercial and employment law cases, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. She ran her own firm, Buford Law Office, from 2001 to 2013 and served as a special assistant attorney general during that period, according to BallotReady.

Earlier in her career, Buford worked as a partner at Jones, Ware & Grenard from 1987 to 2001. She also served as an arbitrator at the Circuit Court of Cook County from 1998 to 2013, according to BallotReady.

Her government service includes work as a commissioner at the Illinois Court of Claims, a hearing officer for the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois State Board of Education, a federal foreclosure commissioner and a special assistant corporation counsel for the City of Chicago, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Buford has held leadership roles outside the courtroom. She served as president of the Cook County Bar Association and the Cook County Bar Association Foundation, president of the Illinois Judicial Council and economic development chair of the NAACP. N'DIGO magazine named her one of the most influential Chicagoans.

She also serves on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility and the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Equality.