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Per-judge retention calls inside

The ballot

Illinois judges are elected, not appointed, and then face retention: a sitting judge who files for retention appears on the ballot alone, with no opponent, and must win 60% YES votes — the highest retention threshold in the country — to keep the seat for a new 10-year term. Below 60%, the seat becomes vacant and is filled by election. A retention vote is therefore a verdict on one judge's record, not a choice between candidates. The election is November 3, 2026. Four Appellate Court justices are listed for retention in this cycle, one per district below (the 2nd District has none up). Illinois has no state performance-evaluation commission; the evaluations voters get come from the bar associations — the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), which runs a formal Judicial Evaluations Committee for appellate judges and an advisory poll of practicing lawyers outside Cook County, and in Cook County the Alliance of Bar Associations and the Chicago Bar Association. Those evaluations are the evidence this guide prices first.

A roster correction, printed up front: the compiled roster for this guide lists Justice James R. Moore (5th District) for retention. The Illinois Courts announced on November 26, 2025 that Justice Moore would retire on December 31, 2025, after 18 years on the bench, and the Illinois Supreme Court assigned a recalled retired judge to fill his seat from January 27, 2026 through December 4, 2028. A retired judge does not stand for retention. If Justice Moore's name does not appear on your ballot, that is why; his entry below carries No verdict, with the record documented so the roster discrepancy is on the face of this guide rather than silently absorbed.

First District (Cook County)

Bertina E. Lampkin — Elected; on the Appellate Court since 2009. Justice Lampkin was admitted to practice in 1974, elected to the Circuit Court of Cook County in 1992, appointed to the 1st District Appellate Court in 2009, and elected to it in 2016. She has served on four Illinois Supreme Court committees and chaired two — the Criminal Law and Probation Administration Committee and the Pattern Instructions in Criminal Cases Committee. Evaluation: all 13 bar associations of the Alliance of Bar Associations rated her YES for retention — a unanimous screen. The Chicago Council of Lawyers finds her Well Qualified, its highest category, citing exceptional command of substantive and procedural law, well-reasoned opinions, and good temperament; the Chicago Bar Association likewise found her Qualified and recommends retention. No adverse record found in this research. Retain.

Third District

John B. Barberis Jr. — Elected 2016 (5th District seat; see district note below). Justice Barberis won the 2016 general election for the 5th District Appellate Court seat vacated by Justice Bruce Stewart, 55.9% to 44.1%, after winning election as a Madison County circuit judge in 2014 while outspent roughly 30-to-1. Before the bench: 18 years of private practice and nearly 15 years as a part-time state's attorney, plus service as Collinsville city attorney. He filed to run for the Illinois Supreme Court in the 2020 cycle. His ten years of appellate service are the credit column, and they are documented. (District note: the compiled roster places Barberis in this guide's four-judge retention slate without a district label; he was elected from the 5th District and his ISBA evaluation is filed under St. Clair County, in the 5th District. Third District voters should check their sample ballot.)

Evaluation — and it is the story of this guide. The ISBA Judicial Evaluations Committee reports: Justice Barberis was offered the opportunity to participate in the committee's investigation of his qualifications and declined. "Without the cooperation of the candidate, it is impossible for the committee to fully evaluate his qualifications. Therefore, the committee cannot recommend John B. Barberis, Jr. for retention." The ISBA advisory poll of lawyers who practice before him rated him Not Recommended: 55.88 on the retain question — below the 60% "recommended" line — with the weakest category scores on this guide's entire slate (impartiality 55.56, legal ability 54.29, integrity 68.57; 36 respondents). No other evaluation source in this research contradicts the ISBA result, and his refusal to participate means no fuller evaluation exists to contradict it with.

Fourth District

James Knecht — On the Appellate Court for 40 years. Justice Knecht's service is the longest in this guide: three years as an associate judge, eight as a circuit judge, and four decades on the Appellate Court, after admission to the Illinois bar in 1973. Evaluation: the ISBA Judicial Evaluations Committee recommends him for retention, reporting that he is well respected by peers and courtroom personnel, treats parties and lawyers with respect and fairness, and is well prepared at oral argument. The ISBA advisory poll rates him Recommended — 81.58 on the retain question, with category scores from 81.08 (impartiality) to 91.89 (sensitivity to diversity and bias); 38 respondents. No adverse record found. Retain.

Fifth District

James R. Moore — Retired December 31, 2025; not standing (see the roster correction above). Justice Moore's documented record, for completeness: SIU Law 1977, cum laude; Carterville sole practitioner 1979–2007; appointed to the Circuit Court by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2007, elected in 2008 and retained in 2014; assigned to the 5th District Appellate Court in 2015 and elected to a full term in 2016; ten years on the Carterville City Council; trustee of the Judicial Retirement System for three full terms. It is a serviceable, fully documented record — of a judge who has left the bench. There is no retention question to answer. No verdict — not standing (retired).

OUR CALL

For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.

Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Sources

Election result — November 4, 2026

Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.

AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.

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