Cook County Circuit Court Judge Eileen Marie O'Connor will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot for a judicial retention vote.
In Illinois retention elections, voters decide "yes" or "no" on whether a sitting judge should remain on the bench. O'Connor was elected to the Cook County Circuit Court in 2020 for the 6th Subcircuit Pantle vacancy.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (retention)
- Party: Nonpartisan
- Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
- Education: Bachelor's degree in finance and business, University of Illinois (2002); J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law (2006)
Experience and public service
O'Connor worked in both banking and law before taking the bench. She was an associate at First American Bank from 2002 to 2003. After earning her law degree, she worked as an associate at Ambrose & Cushing P.C. from 2006 to 2007 and as an attorney at Michael E. Sweeney & Associates LLC from 2006 to 2009, according to BallotReady profile data.
She served as a partner at O'Connor Law Group LLC from 2010 to 2020. She has served as a Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2020.
On the issues
No issue responses from O'Connor were available for this profile.
Endorsements
When O'Connor ran for the 6th Subcircuit Pantle vacancy in 2020, the Chicago Bar Association, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Illinois State Bar Association each rated her "qualified" or higher. The ratings were reported by WTTW News ahead of the March 2020 Democratic primary and again ahead of the November 2020 general election.
Candidate profile information is drawn from BallotReady and WTTW News reporting. No candidate questionnaire responses were available at the time of publication.
