Deidre Baumann
Susana L. Ortiz
Pat Heneghan
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: Pat Heneghan
Age: 58
Party: Democratic
Current residence: Glenview
Current position: Of counsel; Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohn LLP
Past legal experience: Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohn LLP (formerly Schopf & Weiss LLP) 1987-present; commercial litigator, Isham, Lincoln & Beale, 1986 to 1987; commercial litigator, Reuben & Proctor, 1985 to 1986; law clerk to 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jerre S. Williams, 1984 to 1985; law clerk to U.S. District Judge Robert L. Vining Jr., Northern District of Georgia, 1983 to 1984.
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $120,842.76
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $60,296.88
Chicago Bar Association finding: Highly Qualified
Law school: The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, 1983
Campaign website: heneghanforjudge.com
Family: Married with three children
Hobbies/interests: Backpacking, camping, canoeing, cross-country skiing; mentoring/teaching youth about outdoor skills
Have you ever run for office before?
No.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
Voters should vote for me because I am the most qualified candidate in my race. I have 33 years of extensive litigation experience handling a wide range of cases in state and federal trial and appellate courts. I have received Highly Qualified ratings from both The Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association, a Well Qualified rating from the Chicago Council of Lawyers and the highest ratings given from seven of the remaining nine bar associations that have evaluated my qualifications to serve on the bench. I am diligent, ethical and fair. I would bring all of these qualities and more to the bench.
Why do you want to be a judge?
Becoming a judge would allow me to take my 33 years of legal experience and accumulated knowledge of the law and put it to use in the service of others. I also believe that the service on the bench is honorable and interesting. Early in my career I had the tremendous opportunity to serve as a law clerk for two federal judges in successive years. Those experiences provided me with a front row view about the manner in which judges can and do serve others as well as the importance of having competent and compassionate judges on the bench.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
I handled a case for a bankruptcy trustee where we challenged a bank’s asserted security interest in substantially all of the bankrupt debtor’s assets. Eventually, we settled and the bank gave us virtually everything we had sought in the litigation, including forfeiting its asserted secured interest valued at more than $40 million and paying the bankruptcy trustee more than $10 million.
The settlement allowed the bankruptcy trustee to pay a large portion of the debt owed to several hundred unsecured creditors including individuals and small businesses.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
Over the course of my career, I have handled a number of large cases with great success, including several cases in the antitrust area on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. I am a well-respected lawyer in that practice area. As a lawyer, I enjoy a reputation among colleagues and adversaries alike of being wellprepared, honest, a straight-shooter and respectful. I also have been named by Super Lawyers as one of the Top 100 lawyers in Illinois for each year from 2011 to 2015.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
I am thoughtful, inquisitive, compassionate and respectful of others. I listen well — to all sides of an argument — and I am even-handed and fair. I have a wide knowledge of many substantive areas of law and I work diligently to be well-prepared. I have an even temperament and a good sense of humor. I believe that these qualities would serve me well on the bench.
Name: Susana L. Ortiz
Age: 48
Party: Democratic
Current residence: Palos Heights
Current position: Staff attorney, Law Offices of IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
Past legal experience: Fifteen years total practice. Thirteen years at Chicago-Kent. Criminal defense matters, jury trials, appeals, post-conviction matters, asset forfeiture cases.
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $8,900
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $8,900
Chicago Bar Association finding: Qualified
Law school: IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2001
Campaign website: susanaortizforjudge.com
Family: One son, 30; one daughter, 26
Hobbies/interests: Running, fitness, forensic science literature junkie.
Have you ever run for office before?
No, I have not.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
I have been handling complex, mostly criminal litigation matters for the past 15 years. I have tried many jury trials and possess the skills that are required to preside over trials and handle the daily challenges of administering a court call.
Throughout my career, I have put much effort into establishing good relationships with everyone I work with, including my legal adversaries. I have also demonstrated leadership abilities by holding leadership positions in several bar associations as well as my work with the Mexican Consulate representing Mexican nationals and conducting workshops on the legal issues.
Why do you want to be a judge?
I want to be a judge because I have the dedication, work ethic and knowledge necessary to carry out the job on behalf of the electorate. It is also my belief that using one’s talents in public service is important. I have seen many examples of excellent judges currently sitting in Cook County and will use them as an example and guide as to how I will perform my duties. I have the necessary level of work experience and legal knowledge in order to preside over a court call.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
There are so many, but obviously the overturning of the wrongful conviction of Herbert Whitlock in Paris, Ill., would have to be the most complicated, frustrating and interesting one. It took more than eight years for the case to wind procedurally through the system, albeit the fact that his co-defendant had been granted relief in federal court several years earlier. My law partner and I took several batches of law students down to Paris and practically “reinvestigated” the case, we met several interesting people that I will never forget.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
Once again, it would have to be the Whitlock case. In addition, I have been fortunate to have participated in a vast number of legal matters and experiences in different courts throughout the state, including fitness/sanity issues, working with an array of forensic experts and researching and litigating complex evidentiary matters.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
Anyone who appears before me will have an opportunity to be heard and I will work hard to make appropriate rulings based upon the law. I am independent and will keep an open-mind and not pre-judge matters. I believe that treating people with courtesy and respect are essential in running a call and that is what litigants and attorneys deserve and can expect when in front of me. That being said however, I am not afraid to set boundaries when necessary in order to promote efficiency and to move cases along.
Name: Deidre Baumann
Age: 47
Party: Democratic
Current residence: Chicago
Current position: Owner, Baumann & Shuldiner, a civil litigation practice, state and federal, trial and appellate, addressing a wide variety of matters, including personal injury, civil rights and employment discrimination, 15 years.
Past legal experience: Law Offices of Deidre Baumann, five years; Michael Null & Associates, three years; intern, Office of the Cook County Public Defender, six months
Campaign funds available, July 1 to Dec. 31: $14,764.28
Campaign funds spent, July 1 to Dec. 31: $14,445.11
Chicago Bar Association finding: Not Recommended
Law school: University of Illinois College of Law, 1992
Campaign website: deidrebaumannforjudge.com
Family: Six nieces, two nephews, rescue dogs Winston and Paco and rescue cat Inara
Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, photography, scuba diving, dance, baking
Have you ever run for office before?
Yes, I have run for Cook County circuit judge before.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
Voters should support my candidacy because of my experience, knowledge, respect for our constitution and laws, positive demeanor, considered judgment, patience and dedication to public service and equality for all litigants.
Throughout my career, I have dealt with complex issues, not only of constitutional dimension, personal freedom and political import, but I have also assisted many litigants, regardless of their economic position, achieve relief in matters of contract, personal injury and employment. Further, as a Jewish woman, a member of the LGBT community and a political outsider, I would bring diversity and independence to the bench. I am beholden only to the law and the pursuit of justice.
Why do you want to be a judge?
I became a lawyer to help others and make a difference in the world, that is, to make the world more just. At this point in my career, given my legal experience and talents, I will be able to more profoundly and positively impact society as a judge. In addition, the citizens of Cook County deserve to have a choice of judicial candidates, as diversity and experience exist beyond the superficial.
What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?
I was lead counsel in the Burr Oak Cemetery litigation, having filed the first class-action suit in the Chancery Division of the Cook County Circuit Court and having been responsible for the immediate appointment of a receiver to maintain the integrity of the cemetery.
At one point, I represented more than 1,000 clients and was appointed by the court as liaison counsel between the Chancery Division and Law Division cases.
Although Burr Oak Cemetery filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Illinois, one of my clients was appointed to the creditors committee and I was therefore able to actively participate in obtaining insurance funds and shaping an equitable settlement for the bereaved.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
My greatest career accomplishment has been my ability to serve my clients by giving them a voice that they otherwise would not have, while also giving back to the legal community and the community at large through serving in a number of leadership positions, including as president of the Decalogue Society of Lawyers. This has permitted me to transform my passion for justice and equality into deed.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
Patience, empathy and the ability to listen to and appreciate the concerns of all litigants appearing before me.