Bonnie Carol McGrath
Carolyn J. Gallagher
Mark A. Lyon
Gregory Raymond LaPapa
In the days leading up to the March 15 primary election, the Daily Law Bulletin will publish responses to questionnaires sent to candidates in all contested Cook County judicial races. Campaign finance information comes from Illinois State Board of Elections reports.
Name: Gregory Raymond LaPapa
Age: 59
Party: Democratic
Current residence: Chicago
Current position: Private practice attorney
Past legal experience: Private practice, 1993-present; Law Office of Samuel Bernstein, 1991-93; Goldberg and Goldberg Law Office; assistant Illinois attorney general, 1983-89; legal assistant, State Farm Insurance Co., 1981-82.
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $0
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $0
Chicago Bar Association finding: Not Recommended
Chicago Council of Lawyers finding: Not Recommended
Law school: DePaul University School of Law, 1982
Family: Married, one daughter
Hobbies/lnterests: Watching sports
Have you ever run for office before?
No.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
I am compassionate, fair and for the welfare of the people. I will serve with integrity.
Why do you want to be a judge?
I want to make a difference in the system, a system that is by the people and for the people.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
I am a big supporter of animal rights. I advocated for a large boar that was going to be slaughtered and was successful in saving his life.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
Making sure low-income communities received reasonable representation as counsel in open court.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
A diverse understanding of all people.
Name: Mark A. Lyon
Age: 64
Party: Democratic
Current residence: Chicago
Current position: Supervising DuPage County assistant public defender, 2010-present
Past legal experience: Sole practitioner, criminal defense, 1989-2001, 2008-09; Office of the State Appellate Defender (acting as trial counsel in death penalty cases), 2001-08; committee counsel, American Bar Association, 1986-89
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: No quarterly reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: No quarterly reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections
Chicago Bar Association finding: Highly Qualified
Chicago Council of Lawyers finding: Qualified
Law school: The John Marshall Law School, 1986
Campaign website: None
Family: Wife is Cook County Associate Judge Moira S. Johnson; son is electrician; daughter is Cook County Circuit Judge Aicha Marie MacCarthy
Hobbies/interests: Chess
Have you ever run for office before?
No.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
There are five candidates in my race. I am the only candidate rated “Highly Qualified” by The Chicago Bar Association. None of the bar associations has rated me less than “qualified” or “recommended.” I have strong trial experience, including many death penalty cases and many cases where I have put to use my fairly extensive knowledge in fields of forensic science, such as DNA, forensic biology and pathology. I have a strong commitment to diversity and am part of a racially and ethnically diverse family.
Why do you want to be a judge?
The best experience lawyers and litigants can have in a courtroom is to appear before a judge who is highly competent, fair, respectful, compassionate, and has been through the difficulties lawyers face in doing their best for their clients. I know this, because I have had the great privilege of appearing before many such judges. I hope to emulate the qualities I have seen in the many judges who have corrected me on the law when I was wrong, praised me when I presented thoughtful argument on complex matters, were thoroughly familiar with the issues before them and remained mindful of emotional impact of their decisions on parties, witnesses and families. In other words, I want to be a judge because I know what a good judge does, I know we very much need them, and I believe I can become one of them and make a contribution.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
It is hard to single out a case — I have had many death penalty trials involving the highest stakes in the law, tough scientific evidence and horrific crimes. But the most interesting case I have handled was not a criminal case. In 2000, the Decatur public schools expelled several African-American students following a relatively minor brawl (no serious injuries) after a high school football game. The school board pointed to its “zero-tolerance” policy toward “gang-like activity” in their manual. On the stand, the superintendent defined “gang-like activity” as “a bunch of kids up to no good.” Rainbow/PUSH recruited me and other lawyers to seek relief for the students. The case gave me a good sense of how the school system and the legal system can affect the lives of students in ways that may permanently undermine their ability to reach their potential as they grow into adulthood.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
I believe I contributed to some degree (along with many, many others) to the abolition of the Illinois death penalty. By helping to achieve non-death verdicts in eight cases, and a non-death verdict on retrial of a defendant who was sentenced to death the first time on the same facts, I helped demonstrate that imposition of capital punishment can be arbitrary, costly and not very effective as a deterrent.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
A good knowledge of criminal law, a modicum of knowledge on civil law and a commitment to learning more about both every day. Also, I think I have a fairly pleasant and friendly demeanor, a strong sense of and commitment to fairness to everyone, and a good deal of experience as to what goes into preparing and presenting a case.
Name: Carolyn J. Gallagher
Age: 59
Party: Democratic
Current residence: Evanston
Current position and employer: Principal, The Law Office of Carolyn J. Gallagher, 2004 to present
Past legal experience with years of each job: Full-time instructor, DePaul University College of Law, 2000-2004; partner, Friedlander & Brocksmith, 1992-2000; associate, Dardick & Denlow, 1985-1992; judicial law clerk, Illinois Appellate Court, 1982-1985; research associate, American Bar Association, 1981-1982.
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $62,753.08
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $48,612.70
Chicago Bar Association finding: Qualified
Chicago Council of Lawyers finding: Qualified
Law school: DePaul University College of Law, 1981; IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law, LL.M., 1987
Campaign website: ElectGallagher.com
Family: Three children: Timothy, 27; Katie, 24; Michael, 23
Hobbies/interests: Following the Cubs and Blackhawks; agility training with our labradoodle, Zoe; freelance editing; Irish culture and history; travel.
Have you ever run for office before?
Yes. I ran for judge in 2014, finishing a close second in a field of four.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
Given the extensive legal knowledge and experience I have gained in more than 30 years of practicing law, I am qualified for the important position of circuit court judge. All 12 major bar associations have rated me “qualified” or “recommended.” I have been endorsed by top business, civic and labor leaders, from the Chicago Cubs’ Tom Ricketts, to the Chicago Federation of Labor, to Congressman Danny Davis, to the Fraternal Order of Police.
The endorsements are based on the hundreds of cases I have handled in our state and federal trial and appeals courts; my record as a strong advocate for businesses and individuals; my demonstrated commitment to community in providing pro bono legal services to the underprivileged; and my reputation for professionalism, integrity and fairness.
Why do you want to be a judge?
Being a judge would advance my commitment to public service and allow me to apply my legal knowledge and skills for the benefit of those individuals involved in our court system.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
Of many interesting cases, one that I will always remember is my first federal trial. It involved a dispute between my bank client and an armored car carrier over a missing cash shipment.
After the U.S. District Court entered judgment in favor of my client, the decision was appealed, giving me the chance to handle my first appellate case, first appellate argument and first appellate victory in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
My greatest career accomplishment may have been teaching the critical practice skills of legal writing, research and analysis skills to law students.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
I plan to bring to the bench the qualities of legal ability, respect, dignity, fairness and integrity.
Name: Bonnie Carol McGrath
Age: 65
Party: Democratic
Current residence: Chicago
Current position and employer: Solo practice, 1996 to present
Past legal experience: Prosecutor, Chicago Department of Law, 1992 to 1996
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $2,971.83
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $0
Chicago Bar Association finding: Did not participate in evaluation process, automatically considered Not Recommended.
Chicago Council of Lawyers finding: Not Recommended
Law school: John Marshall Law School, 1993
Campaign website: Not applicable
Family: Daughter, Molly McGrath, is an artist at Project Onward at the Bridgeport Art Center
Hobbies/interests: Chicago history, opera, contemporary classical music, outsider art, prison reform and community activities in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood
Have you ever run for office before?
Yes, for judge.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
I have the most varied background of any candidate. In my other career as a journalist, I have won 22 major journalism awards, which I think proves beyond doubt my objectivity and my integrity. I was also a blue collar worker (telephone installer) from 1973 to 1978, and I broke ground for women in the state of Illinois. That experience has given me a perspective that is unparalleled for a judge.
Why do you want to be a judge?
Since I was a child, I have had a penchant for being objective and fair. I have always been drawn to activities that require objectivity, more so than ones requiring advocacy and subjectivity. I also work well by myself.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
It was a case in which I successfully represented the city against a man who caused a terrible bicycle accident and who was charged with numerous violations. The victim was an appellate court judge. I worked very hard on this case and identified some novel issues.
The interesting thing was that the judge presiding over the case found even more issues that were overlaid and embedded in the numerous issues that had already been identified, sending us back to the drawing board in what turned out to be a very complex, interesting and unique case.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
Aside from winning the Chicago Bar Association Pro Bono Award for Sole Practitioner (and many, many other pro bono awards from the legal community), the actual depth and breadth of my legal career and bar leadership is outstanding and my overall greatest accomplishment.
For example, I was a prosecutor for the city my first four years out of law school and I became an expert in administrative law because I was the only prosecutor ultimately handling all of the city’s vehicle impoundment cases (which led me to advising Michigan prosecutors in a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court).
Additionally, I have handled 30 criminal appeals, nine juvenile court cases and numerous cases in every division of the court, and I have taught trial advocacy, legal research and appellate skills as well.
I have a very impressive background in legal writing — and one article I wrote for the Chicago Bar Record (I am on the editorial board of the Chicago Bar Association) was even cited in a law review article about bench/bar relations and legal education.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
Thoughtfulness, objectivity, independence, studiousness and a lack of bias in all matters. My outstanding record of pro bono work proves my intense dedication to the legal profession and to community service.
One additional candidate in this race — Sean Chaudhuri, an attorney at The Mehta Law Group Ltd. — did not respond to the Daily Law Bulletin’s information request. Chaudhuri is rated as Qualified by The Chicago Bar Association and Not Qualified by the Chicago Council of Lawyers. Chaudhuri had $75,000 in campaign funds available from July 1 to Dec. 31 and spent $58,252 during the same time period.