Circuit Court Judge Daniel Edward Maloney will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot in a nonpartisan retention vote. Voters will decide whether to keep Maloney on the Cook County Circuit Court bench, a seat he has held since 2019.

No other candidates appear in this race. In a retention election, voters answer a single yes-or-no question on whether the judge should remain in office. A judge who does not receive enough "yes" votes loses the seat.

Candidate information

  • Name: Daniel Edward Maloney
  • Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (retention)
  • Election: Illinois General Election, Nov. 3, 2026
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
  • Education: High school diploma, Brother Rice High School; bachelor's degree, University of Notre Dame (1998); juris doctor, Valparaiso University (2001)

Experience and public service

Maloney worked as an assistant state's attorney at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office from 2001 to 2017, according to BallotReady profile data. During that stretch, he also served as adjunct faculty at Saint Xavier University from 2012 to 2014.

He left the state's attorney's office to become division counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, a federal law enforcement role he held from 2017 to 2019 before joining the Cook County Circuit Court bench.

Maloney presides over preliminary hearings in the Sixth Municipal District, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. He also oversees three problem-solving courts at the Markham Courthouse, located at 16501 S. Kedzie Parkway in Markham: Drug Treatment Court, Mental Health Treatment Court and Veterans Treatment Court.

Endorsements

The Chicago Council of Lawyers rated Maloney "Qualified" for the Circuit Court in its evaluation for the November 2020 election cycle. No 2026-cycle evaluation from the organization was available at the time of publication.

  • Chicago Council of Lawyers — Qualified (November 2020 cycle)

Candidate information in this profile is drawn from the candidate's public records, BallotReady and the Circuit Court of Cook County. No candidate questionnaire responses or policy statements were available at the time of publication.