John O’Meara

Name: John O’Meara

Party: Democratic

Age (as of Election Day): 54

Residence: Riverside

Current position: Administrative law judge for the Department of Labor

Past legal experience: Cook County circuit judge, 2016-18; Curcio Law Offices, 2002-16; Broderick Steiger & Maisel 2000-02; Parillo Weiss & O’Halloran, 1995-2000

Campaign funds available, July 1-Dec. 31: $15,000

Campaign funds spent, July 1-Dec. 31: $8,165

Law school: The John Marshall Law School, 1995

Campaign website: omeara4judge.com

Family: Married, four children

Hobbies/interests: Fishing, reading, watching children’s athletic events

Have you ever run for office before?

Yes (in the 2018 4th Judicial Subcircuit primary).

Why should voters support your candidacy?

I think I’ve got the experience in terms of litigation and being a judge that my opponents don’t have. I have two years on the bench where I oversaw approximately 5,200 cases — both bench and jury trials. I have also taught CLE to attorneys and helped them get certified as arbitrators for the Cook County mandatory arbitration program.

I know firsthand what it takes to be a judge and the qualities that come with being a good judge. In addition to that, I have over 20 years of experience as a litigator. I’ve tried more than 75 jury trials to verdict, and the complexity of the cases I’ve managed have been simple car accident cases to product liability, medical malpractice and wrongful death.

Why do you want to be a judge?

I think it’s the greatest job in the world: You are helping people by being an instrument of justice. As a lawyer you can help a family or client, but you can really only help one family or one client at a time.

What was the most interesting case you handled as a lawyer?

It was a wrongful-death case involving pharmaceutical and medical-malpractice liability. It was a heart-wrenching situation where a mother of four went into the hospital and was improperly given medicine, and she passed away. There were many facets to this case.

What would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?

Helping people. As an attorney I’ve helped thousands of families and people in their struggles in the legal system. The greatest reward as an attorney is to help the family of somebody who has had a loved one pass away and to get some kind of restitution or justice for them, even though you can’t bring the loved one back.

What qualities do you plan to bring to the bench?

I have a calm demeanor; I treat everybody respectfully; and I have a breadth of knowledge I bring to the bench. I recognize that litigants come into courts and it’s a new experience for them, and I want to make their experience as respectful as possible. I treat everybody with respect and give everybody a complete opportunity to be heard. I don’t want people to feel there was a rush to judgment or they didn’t get a chance to be heard. I think all of my decisions have been well informed and well thought out.