Cook County Circuit Court Judge Patricia O'Brien Sheahan faces a nonpartisan retention vote in the 2026 Illinois General Election. The ballot question asks voters whether Sheahan should remain on the bench.

Sheahan has served on the Circuit Court since 2014, according to a standing order filed with the court. She is assigned to the Law Division, Trial Section, in Courtroom 2605 at the Richard J. Daley Center in Chicago, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County. She presides over personal injury tort trials, including medical malpractice, defamation, products liability, complex toxic tort litigation and commercial bench trials.

The Law Division handles civil cases. Sheahan's caseload includes patients alleging harm from medical treatment, consumers claiming injuries from defective products, and companies in commercial disputes at trial.

In a retention race, no opposing candidate appears on the ballot. Voters cast a "yes" or "no" vote on whether to keep the judge in office.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (retention)
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Education: J.D. from Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law; degree from Indiana University, according to Trellis.Law
  • Current assignment: Law Division, Trial Section, Richard J. Daley Center, Chicago

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Sheahan worked as a litigation associate at Baker McKenzie from 1995 to 1999, according to the court's standing order. She then served as associate general counsel at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, now known as Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, from 1999 to 2014. That role kept her at the Rehabilitation Institute for fifteen years before she moved to the bench.

She was elected to the Cook County Circuit Court in 2014 and has served since then.

On the issues

No issue responses or policy statements from Sheahan were available for this profile.

Endorsements

No endorsements were available for this profile.

Evanston voters will see Sheahan's retention question on their general election ballot.

This profile was compiled from publicly available court records and election data. No candidate questionnaire responses were available at the time of publication.