Cook County Circuit Court Judge Perla Tirado will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026 general election ballot for a retention vote. Voters will decide whether Tirado keeps her seat on the 14th Subcircuit bench.

Tirado first won the seat unopposed in the Nov. 3, 2020 general election, receiving 61,045 votes, according to Ballotpedia. She assumed office on Dec. 7, 2020. Her current term ends Dec. 7, 2026.

The retention question is nonpartisan. Voters answer "yes" or "no" on whether to retain the judge. The race is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (14th Subcircuit) — retention
  • Education: Bachelor's in philosophy, Boston College (1998); juris doctor, DePaul University (2003); certificate in international law, DePaul University College of Law (2003)

Experience and public service

Tirado's legal career spans more than two decades. She earned a bachelor's in philosophy from Boston College in 1998, then a juris doctor and a certificate in international law from DePaul University College of Law in 2003, according to BallotReady and the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois.

After law school, Tirado worked as an assistant public defender in Cook County, according to the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois. She then moved into private practice as a partner at Tirado Winters, LLP from 2007 to 2008, according to BallotReady.

She worked as an attorney at the Law Office of Perla Tirado from 2008 to 2016, according to BallotReady. Starting in 2016, she served as supervising attorney at the Community Activism Law Alliance, according to BallotReady.

Tirado took the bench in December 2020 after her unopposed election to the 14th Subcircuit. She has served as a Cook County Circuit Court judge since then, according to the Women's Bar Association of Illinois.

Outside the courtroom, Tirado has served as a board member of the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois, according to that organization. She is also a member of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois, according to the candidate.

On the issues

No issue responses from Tirado were available for this profile.

Endorsements

No endorsements were identified in the sources reviewed for this profile.

This profile was compiled from publicly available sources including Ballotpedia, BallotReady, the Puerto Rican Bar Association of Illinois and the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. No candidate questionnaire responses were available.