Tim is running for judge in the February 5, 2008 primary. If he wins that election, he still won’t be a judge yet, though. The winner of the Democratic primary for his office will face the winner of the Republican primary in the November general election.

He’s running for Will County Circuit Judge in the 2^nd Judicial Subcircuit. Boy, that’s a mouthful, huh? It is pretty complicated. A few years ago, Will County was broken up into subdistricts for only 5 of the judicial seats. The rest of the judgeships are still elected countywide. But these 5, including the one Tim is running for, are elected only by voters residing in the smaller districts.

No, it’s a full county circuit judge position with all the powers and responsibilities of the other elected judges. The subcircuit judges will be assigned to the same types of cases as other elected judges.

Yep, there are a bunch of associate judges, who are appointed every 3 years by a vote of the elected judges.

The map was drawn by politicians, so not surprisingly, it doesn’t bear much resemblance to a simple rectangle. Basically, it encompasses the majority of Joliet, all of Shorewood and Rockdale, a small portion of Crest Hill and other areas of unincorporated Joliet and Troy townships. You can find a map of the Will County judicial subcircuits by clicking here.

Because elected judge positions rarely become available. The first time they are created, they go up for a contested election. After that, the winner of the office only has to run for “retention” every 6 years, which is simply a “yes” or “no” vote against his or her own record. Practically speaking, nobody loses a retention vote. There’s only been one judge in recent memory to lose. So you’d better be happy with your selection in this race, because you could be blessed—or stuck—with the winner as your Will County judge for the next 12, 18 or more years.

He is on the ballot as a Democrat. If you want to vote for him, you have to pull a Democratic ballot on February 5. The system kind of stinks, in that you may have to decide which of your favorite candidates means more to you. Because if they are running in opposite parties in the primary, you  can only vote for one of them. You only get to vote for candidates on one side or the other. But if you help out Tim with a vote by choosing a Democratic ballot in February, you’re obviously free to vote for whomever you like in November’s general election.

If you live in the 2^nd Judicial Subcircuit, Tim’s race is the only judicial race you’ll see. And even if you’re not sure how to pronounce his last name, it’s easy to find him—he’s the only Tim on the ballot for judge.

You can read the nuts and bolts about Tim’s background and his personal account about his history at “About Tim.” For Tim’s own words about his candidacy, check out "Why Tim? " Also, visit Tim’s blog about the experience of running for office. Find it here.

First and foremost, VOTE for him! Next, tell people he’s running. Tell them what you know about him. Point them toward this Web site so they can meet Tim through his writing and the other information we've included about him. E-mail this link to them (www.timforjudge.com). Tell them they have to pull a Democratic ballot to help him out. For information on financial support, getting signs for you and your friends’ yards, or for other ways to help, visit the “Help Tim's Campaign" page.

Under Illinois election law, lawyers running for office are prohibited from personally soliciting or accepting funds toward their campaign. Believe it or not, Illinois attorney ethics rules consider it distasteful for lawyers to hit you up for money. We don’t blame you if that sounds like some kind of lawyer joke to you. So several of Tim’s friends have put together a committee to raise funds in support of his candidacy. None of them are political types. They just believe in Tim. To contact the committee, e-mail chairwoman Jodi Wartenberg at jodi@timforjudge.com or phone 815-723-1497.