Chris Kennedy

Name: Chris Kennedy

Age (as of Election Day): 53

Residence: Libertyville

Current position and employer: 19th Circuit Associate Judge

Past legal experience with years of each job: 2013-2019: Office of Special Deputy, Deputy General Counsel and Estate Trust Officer; 1998-2013: private practice focused on civil trials and appeals; 1994-1998: Assistant State's Attorney, felony prosecutor

Law school, year graduated: John Marshall Law School (now UIC), 1994 (Law Review ed board, Moot Court)

Campaign website: www.JudgeChrisKennedy.com

Family: Married to my law school sweetheart Lisa (Sanders) Kennedy for 26 years. We have 3 children.

Hobbies/interests: Playing and watching baseball; avid history and law nerd.

Have you ever run for office before? School Board member (three terms); Democratic nominee for Lake County State’s Attorney in 2012; 2010 candidate for Circuit Judge.

Why should voters support your candidacy?

The Appellate Court reviews the work of trial court judges, and I am the only judge running in this primary, as well as the only primary candidate rated "Highly Recommended" by the Illinois State Bar Association and "Highly Qualified" by the Lake County Bar Association. Moreover, before I was appointed to the bench, I was a leading attorney for 25 years, practicing in diverse areas of law, focusing on major litigation and jury trials, as well as appeals. I have broad experience and am the only candidate who has enforced the law as a prosecutor, written laws as an advocate for children with disabilities, upheld the law on behalf of clients who were victims, and decided the law as a judge. I am diligent, considerate, and persistent, a clear writer with diverse and in-depth experience in the kind of work done by the Appellate Court.

Who is/was your most important mentor and why?

My parents were incredible, selfless leaders, working tirelessly to provide for all of us while also serving the greater community. Dad was a garbageman for the New York City Sanitation Department, working nights and obtaining bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and public policy, respectively, then getting elected Town Supervisor for three terms, providing help to thousands of families in Chester, New York. Mom was a nurse, then a teacher, earning her masters in endocrinology, but also serving as school board president, while also working in various roles, including house cleaning jobs and sales roles for many years. Mom and dad were decent, inspirational, intelligent, and level-headed people, who were committed to making the world a better place — as I am committed to following and promoting their legacy.

What are your thoughts on a hybrid in-person and remote future for the courts?

I have run a Zoom call for well over two years now, more recently a hybrid call, on the front lines of the judicial response to the pandemic. I am a big advocate of alternative appearance methods to promote judicial economy, so long as participants are respectful of the court. The pandemic has forced the courts to step into the 21st century, and I am a big proponent of enhancing access to justice via electronic means.

What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?

Undoubtedly, my greatest single accomplishment has been the creation of the Illinois Children's Medicaid Waiver program, which provides home and community-based services to support thousands of Illinois families who are (and will be) affected by developmental and intellectual disabilities. Compared with this program and the dozen other laws I drafted, worked and got passed as a volunteer over a six-year period (including laws requiring insurance coverage for treatment of autism and other disabilities), the multimillion dollar verdicts and appellate victories in my career pale in comparison.

What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?

I will bring a unique perspective and deep set of experiences to the Appellate Court. I grew up in a blue-collar home, working my way through high school, college, and law school, in various jobs such as sawmill worker, onion field planter, dishwasher, McDonald’s cook, furniture delivery worker, janitor, warehouse picker, pizza deliveryman, and night watchman at a trucking facility, among others. I understand the challenges ordinary families face, including some of the most difficult, like those supporting a child with special needs. As an Appellate Court Judge, I will apply the law knowledgeably, correctly and fairly, without forgetting the people affected by our rulings.

Back to all the listings.