Circuit Court Judge Celestia L. Mays appears on the Nov. 3 ballot in a nonpartisan retention race for the Cook County Circuit Court. Voters will decide whether to keep her on the bench.
In a retention election, no challenger runs. Voters mark "yes" or "no" on whether to retain the judge. Mays has been certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (retention)
- Election: Nov. 3, 2026, Illinois General Election
- Education: Juris doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law; bachelor's degree in political science and communications from the University of Michigan
- Professional memberships: Cook County Bar Association, Illinois Judicial Council, Illinois Judges Association, National Bar Association, American Bar Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. (Theta Omega Chapter, life member)
Experience and public service
Mays was appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County by the Illinois Supreme Court, according to the Committee for Retention of Judges. She was elected an associate judge in 2019 and elected a circuit judge in 2020.
Before joining the bench, Mays was the principal of Celestia L. Mays, P.C., for over 22 years. Her practice concentrated in family law, probate law and residential real estate closings, according to the committee's profile.
Mays served as centennial president of the Cook County Bar Association in 2014–2015, according to the association's website. She also served as a board member of the CCBA Foundation and a former board member of the Illinois Judicial Council.
Endorsements
All 13 bar associations that evaluate Cook County judges unanimously recommended Mays for retention, according to WTTW's 2026 General Election Voter Guide:
- Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening
- Asian American Bar Association
- Black Men Lawyers' Association
- Black Women Lawyers' Association
- Chicago Bar Association
- Chicago Council of Lawyers
- Cook County Bar Association
- Decalogue Society of Lawyers
- Hispanic Bar Association
- Hellenic Lawyers Association of Illinois
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago
- Puerto Rican Bar Association
- Women's Bar Association of Illinois
The Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Council of Lawyers and the Illinois State Bar Association also rated Mays "qualified" or higher for the 2020 Cook County Circuit Court election to fill the Funderburk vacancy, according to WTTW News.
Candidate information in this profile is drawn from the Committee for Retention of Judges, BallotReady, the Cook County Bar Association and WTTW's voter guide. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this profile.
