Circuit Court Judge Patricia M. Fallon faces a retention vote in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. Voters will decide whether to keep her on the Cook County Circuit Court bench.

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Fallon to the bench by a unanimous vote in July 2019, according to Journal & Topics Media Group. She filled the 12th Subcircuit vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Kay Marie Hanlon. Retention races are nonpartisan. Voters mark "yes" or "no" on whether to retain the judge.

Fallon is a first-generation American. Both of her parents immigrated to the United States from Ireland, according to Trellis.Law.

Candidate information

  • Name: Patricia M. Fallon
  • Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (retention)
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Education: Palatine High School; bachelor of science degree, cum laude, Loyola University Chicago, 1996; juris doctor, Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law; certificate in labor and employment law, Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2000

At Loyola, Fallon earned a Presidential Academic Scholarship, made the dean's list and belonged to Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity, the National Hispanic Honor Society and the Golden Key National Honor Society, according to Journal & Topics.

Experience and public service

Fallon began her legal career as a contract attorney at Mayer Brown from 2000 to 2002, according to BallotReady. She then worked as a contract attorney at Abbott Laboratories from 2002 to 2004.

She spent more than a decade in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. She served as an assistant state's attorney in the Labor and Employment Litigation Unit from 2004 to 2013, according to Trellis.Law. She then served as deputy supervisor from 2013 to 2015 and supervisor from 2015 to 2017, according to BallotReady.

Fallon served as chief of human resources at the Cook County Recorder of Deeds Office from 2017 to 2019, according to Trellis.Law. The Illinois Supreme Court then appointed her to the Circuit Court bench in July 2019.

Endorsements

Fallon has received ratings from several bar associations, according to their published evaluations:

  • Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening — Highly Recommended, according to Patch
  • Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois — Highly Recommended, according to Journal & Topics
  • Puerto Rican Bar Association — Highly Recommended, according to Journal & Topics
  • Chicago Bar Association, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Illinois State Bar Association — rated "Qualified" or higher in a 2020 judicial candidate evaluation, according to WTTW News

The Evanston Wire did not send a questionnaire to retention candidates. This profile is based on publicly available records and reporting.