Daniel Shanes
Name: Daniel Shanes
Age (as of Election Day): 55
Residence: Mundelein
Current position and employer: Deputy Chief Judge, 19th Judicial Circuit of Illinois
Past legal experience with years of each job: Judicial law clerk, Justice Robert J. Steigmann, Illinois Appellate Court (1993-1995), Assistant State’s Attorney, Division Chief, Lake County State’s Attorney’s office (1995-2007), Circuit Judge, 19th Judicial Circuit of Illinois (2007-present)
Law school, year graduated: DePaul University, 1993
Campaign website: www.judgeshanes.com
Family: Married to my wife of 30 years, Diane, and have four caring and talented children all in their 20s. We were all raised in Lake County, and my kids have grown up to become an attorney, teacher, one exploring med school, and another a student at the University of Illinois.
Hobbies/interests: My greatest passion has been raising our four children with Diane, where our favorite things to do as a family have been organized sports and road trips to National Parks across our great country. My hobbies include reading historical nonfiction on our nation’s founding principles and my work volunteering in the community, such as serving with the Lake County Haven, a homeless shelter and transitional living facility for women and children.
Have you ever run for office before? I was evaluated by the Lake County Bar Association (LCBA) as “highly recommended” and elected in November 2012 to a full term as circuit judge. In 2018, I was again evaluated by the LCBA as “highly qualified” and retained for another term.
Why should voters support your candidacy?
As an experienced judge who has spent hundreds of hours teaching and training other judges across Illinois and the United States, I know all too well that Illinoisans need a Supreme Court justice who has the experience and background to hit the ground running on day one. No other candidate in this race has the experience I have as a judge in the courtroom, as evidenced by my “Highly Recommended” and “Highly Qualified” ratings from the Illinois State Bar Association and the Lake County Bar Association. Moreover, I have consistently received the highest ratings of any candidate in bar association polls of fellow judges and lawyers who have practiced before me. This is a race about upholding, preserving, and guaranteeing our constitutional liberties and freedoms for our children and grandchildren.
Who is/was your most important mentor and why?
In the legal profession, one of my most important mentors has been Fred Foreman, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Lake County State’s Attorney, and Chief Judge of the 19th Judicial Circuit Court. I got to know him when I was a young lawyer, and he was a true trailblazer in our judiciary. Foreman was a model judge and leader in the legal community for Lake County and all of Illinois, reliably applying equal justice and standing up for victims of crime.
What are your thoughts on a hybrid in-person and remote future for the courts?
Since the founding of our Republic, courts have changed and adapted with the times, keeping up with technology and society, while maintaining focus on their mission to always uphold the Constitution and provide justice. As a judge presiding over both criminal felony and civil law division cases, I see that the appropriateness of remote or hybrid appearances depends upon the type of case and type of proceeding. For example, it is beneficial to permit remote or hybrid appearances for routine and non-contested matters, particularly in civil and family cases. At the other end of the spectrum, jury trials ought to remain in person.
What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?
Serving as Deputy Chief Judge of the 19th Circuit Court has been the apex of my career. But I would not be where I am today without my commitment as an assistant state’s attorney prosecuting some of the most heinous crimes in our state. I am also tremendously proud to have been selected by our state’s Supreme Court as the chair of the Illinois Judicial College Board of Trustees and one of 15 judges selected to serve on the Illinois Judicial Conference.
What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?
It’s important to remember that judges need to deliver the guarantee of equal justice under the law and not legislate from the bench. The public can have confidence in my experience handling the most serious civil and criminal cases to my years spent teaching and training judges across the United States — part of the reason why I was awarded the highest rankings from the ISBA and Lake County Bar Association.
To put it succinctly, I will defend our constitution, adhere to the Rule of Law, give voice to those who must be heard in our courts, and uphold justice and accountability.
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