Illinois Supreme Court 2nd District Gains Two Additional Candidates

Judge Daniel B. Shanes
Nancy Rotering

Last week of July sees one campaign formally launch, another candidacy formally announced from two Lake County residents

As the month of July closes, the highly competitive Illinois Supreme Court Justice, 2nd District open seat saw two expected developments in what will be a crowded field in both the Republican and Democratic primaries.

The newly redrawn 2nd District for the Illinois Supreme Court includes the counties of Lake (19th Circuit), Kane (16th), McHenry (22nd), Kendall and DeKalb (23rd).

Lake County, according to Census estimates, makes up over 40% of the population in the Supreme Court District 2.

The formal launch of the first announced Republican candidate, Lake County 19th Circuit Judge Daniel B. Shanes of Libertyville and the announcement of Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering’s Democratic nomination candidacy shows the largest county flexing political muscle.

Since all of McHenry County is within the newly redrawn 2nd District, McHenry County Blog will be covering the 2022 race in some detail. Given there are now five announced candidates (1 Republican, 4 Democrats) with more expected, a scorecard will be needed.

Here’s a first cut about the announced candidates:

Daniel B. Shanes, 19th Circuit Judge, 3rd Subcircuit

Judge Shanes was appointed as an associate judge in 2007 after 12 years as an assistant state’s attorney in Lake County. In 2010, Judge Shanes was appointed Circuit Judge in the 3rd Subcircuit, and won a close general election for a full term in 2012 with 53% of the vote, running as a Republican. He was retained in 2018.

Shanes’ campaign committee held a kickoff through the Lake County Republican Federation earlier this week.

Nancy Rotering, mayor of Highland Park (3 terms)

Mayor Rotering announced her candidacy as a Democrat for the Illinois Supreme Court this week. Her 2022 campaign was expected.

Rotering holds a Bachelors degree from Stanford, a Masters of Business Administration from Northwestern University and her juris doctorate from the University of Chicago.

First elected to the Highland Park City Council in 2009, Rotering was elected mayor two years later, and has won reelection twice, latest in 2019.

In 2016, Rotering ran for Congress in the 10th Congressional District, losing in the primary to Brad Schneider, while running a competitive race garnering 46% of the Democratic primary vote.

In 2018, Rotering lost in the Democratic primary for the open attorney general office, finishing a distant 4th and receiving over 123K votes.

Given all of the times she’s been on the ballot within Lake County outside of the city of Highland Park, she will have name ID.

Elizabeth Rochford

Elizabeth Rochford, associate judge, 19th Circuit

As previously covered by McHenry County Blog, Associate Judge Elizabeth Rochford is running as a Democrat in the 2022 Supreme Court 2nd District race.

Rochford, first appointed associate judge in 2012, has been reappointed twice, the most recent in 2019.

Rochford has not run for election to Circuit Judge, or any other elective political office.

René Cruz

René Cruz, 16th Circuit Judge, 1st Subcircuit

Judge René Cruz, a native of Panama whose family immigrated to the United States in the 1980s, lives in North Aurora.

Cruz is a graduate of The Citadel in South Carolina.

First appointed as an associate judge in the 16th Circuit in late 2012, Cruz was appointed Circuit Judge in mid 2016.

He ran and won a full term to his Circuit Judge post in 2018, being unopposed in both the primary and general election.

John Noverini

John A. Noverini, 16th Circuit Judge, 2nd Subcircuit

As previously reported on McHenry County Blog earlier this month, Carpentersville resident John Noverini launched his campaign for Illinois Supreme Court, 2nd District.

Noverini, who began his electoral politics as a Republican being elected 5 terms as a precinct committeeperson beginning in 1998, and Dundee Township Republican Organization chair for two terms (2004, 2006), won election as a Carpentersville village trustee in 1999.

In 2002, he unseated a 2-term Kane County Board member in the Republican primary en route to winning his first of two terms as a Republican for the neighboring 23rd District, which included all of the Kane County portion of the village of Algonquin.

In late 2007, Noverini switched political party affiliation, resigning both of his Republican party offices and staying on the county board, to Democrat and ran uncontested in the 2008 primary for Circuit Judge, 2nd Subcircuit. In the general election, Noverini defeated appointed Circuit Judge Patricia Piper Goldman by over 1,800 votes, when she sought election as a Republican, to win his 1st of 3 terms, being retained in 2014 and 2020.

Noverini was never an associate judge, worked in the state’s attorney’s office or trial or criminal attorney, but a transactions attorney in private practice. Since being elected to the bench, Noverini has sought for diversity through encouraging appointments of qualified non-criminal back office attorneys for associate judgeships.

Noverini also never lost an election, having run in contested races 5 times from 1999 through 2008.

The 2007 McHenry County Blog article on Noverini’s party switch, and Cal’s assessment at that time can be viewed here.


Comments

Illinois Supreme Court 2nd District Gains Two Additional Candidates — 2 Comments

  1. How can Rotering be a judge when she holds Israeli citizenship?

    Cruz has poor reasoning skills, look how many times he’s been reversed.

    An affirmative action appointee.

    When are people in Illinois going to rise up?

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