(WTTW News)

Beyond backing a presidential candidate and weighing in on theheated race for Cook County State’s Attorney, voters will soon be tasked with electing Cook County Circuit Court judges.

Why is this rather lengthly portion of the ballot important? Judges make decisions on topics that affect people’s daily lives, including education, health care, housing, employment, discrimination and civil rights.

More: 2020 Voter Guide to the Primary Election

To help voters navigate the dozens of candidates running, the Chicago Bar Association, Chicago Council of Lawyers and Illinois State Bar Association have screened and ranked candidates based on their qualifications.

Find out how they evaluated the judges, below, or scroll down to check out their recommendations. We even created a printer-friendly list you can take into the ballot box with you. Not sure when, where and if you can vote in the March 17 primary? Check this out.

The Chicago Bar Association evaluated judges based on integrity, legal knowledge, legal ability, professional experience, judicial temperament, diligence, punctuality and health factors. Candidates were ranked as “highly qualified,” “qualified,” or “not recommended.”

The Chicago Council of Lawyers evaluated a candidate’s ability to serve on the relevant court in the following categories: fairness (including sensitivity to diversity and bias), legal knowledge and skills (competence), integrity, experience, diligence, impartiality, judicial temperament, respect for the rule of law, independence from political and institutional influences, professional conduct, character and community service. Based on CCL evaluations, candidates were rated as “qualified,” “well qualified,” “highly qualified” and “not qualified.” Candidates who did not participate in the evaluation process were rated as “not recommended.”

The Illinois State Bar Association conducted a detailed background investigation and an in-person interview of each candidate. Candidates were rated “qualified,” “highly qualified” or “not qualified.”

(Get a printer-friendly version of the list here.)

Note: Some judges received mixed ratings.

Ranked ‘Qualified’ or higher by all three bar associations:

Jesse G. Reyes–Illinois Supreme Court, Freeman vacancyP. Scott Neville Jr. –Illinois Supreme Court, Freeman vacancyCynthia Y. Cobbs –Illinois Supreme Court, Freeman vacancyMargaret Stanton McBride –Illinois Supreme Court, Freeman vacancyNathaniel Roosevelt Howse –Illinois Supreme Court, Freeman vacancyMichael B. Hyman –Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, Neville Jr. vacancyJohn Griffin –Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, Simon vacancySharon O. Johnson–Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, Simon vacancyCristin Keely McDonald Duffy –Cook County Circuit Court, Bellows vacancyKerrie Maloney Laytin –Cook County Circuit Court, Bellows vacancyKelly Marie McCarthy –Cook County Circuit Court, Coghlan vacancyAileen Bhandari –Cook County Circuit Court, Coghlan vacancyElizabeth "Beth" Ryan –Cook County Circuit Court, Coghlan vacancyJames T. Derico, Jr. –Cook County Circuit Court, Coghlan vacancyLaura Ayala-Gonzalez– Cook County Circuit Court, Ford vacancyJohn O’Meara– Cook County Circuit Court, Ford vacancyJacqueline Marie Griffin– Cook County Circuit Court, Funderburk vacancyDaniel L. Collins– Cook County Circuit Court, Funderburk vacancyMary Therese Quinn– Cook County Circuit Court, Funderburk vacancyCelestia L. Mays– Cook County Circuit Court, Funderburk vacancyLevander "Van" Smith, Jr.– Cook County Circuit Court, Larsen vacancySuzanne Therese McEneely– Cook County Circuit Court, Larsen vacancyMegan Kathleen Mulay– Cook County Circuit Court, Larsen vacancyJennifer Patricia Callahan– Cook County Circuit Court, Mason vacancyChris Stacey– Cook County Circuit Court, Mason vacancyTeresa Molina– Cook County Circuit Court, McCarthy vacancyMichael O’Malley– Cook County Circuit Court, McCarthy vacancySheree Desiree Henry– Cook County Circuit Court, Murphy Gorman vacancyElizabeth Anne Walsh– Cook County Circuit Court, O’Brien vacancyLloyd James Brooks– Cook County Circuit Court, O’Brien vacancyHeather Anne Kent– Cook County Circuit Court, O’Brien vacancyLynn Weaver Boyle– Cook County Circuit Court, Patti vacancyLorraine Mary Murphy– Cook County Circuit Court, Roti vacancyJames Patrick Crawley– Cook County Circuit Court, Roti vacancyRussell W. Hartigan– Cook County Circuit Court, C. Sheehan vacancyJill Rose Quinn– Cook County Circuit Court, K. Sheehan vacancyTyria B. Walton–1st Subcircuit, Crawford vacancySondra Nicole Denmark– 2nd Subcircuit, "A" vacancyDaniel Edward Maloney– 3rd Subcircuit, Filan vacancyRegina Ann Mescall– 3rd Subcircuit, Flynn vacancyJames John Knibbs– 3rd Subcircuit, Flynn vacancyThomas J. Condon Jr.– 3rd Subcircuit, Flynn vacancyBrad Telander– 3rd Subcircuit, Flynn vacancyErin Haggerty Antonietti– 3rd Subcircuit, Murphy vacancyJamie Guerra Dickler– 6th Subcircuit, Nega vacancyEileen Marie O’Connor– 6th Subcircuit, Pantle vacancyAnthony Lucafo– 6th Subcircuit, Pantle vacancyOwens "Joe" Shelby– 7th Subcircuit, Jackson vacancyMarcia O’Brien Conway– 7th Subcircuit, Jackson vacancyPamela Reaves Harris– 7th Subcircuit, Jackson vacancyJonathan Clark Green– 8th Subcircuit, Fleming vacancyBradley R. Trowbridge– 8th Subcircuit, Fleming vacancyMichael A. Forti– 8th Subcircuit, Gubin vacancyPamela "Pam" Stratigakis– 9th Subcircuit, Axelrood vacancyThomas M. Cushing– 9th Subcircuit, Axelrood vacancyTimothy Patrick Carter– 9th Subcircuit, Axelrood vacancyJulie Bess Aimen– 9th Subcircuit, Luckman vacancyMichael Alan Strom– 9th Subcircuit, Luckman vacancyBasileios "Bill" Foutris– 9th Subcircuit, Luckman vacancyJohn G. Mulroe– 10th Subcircuit, Allen vacancyJon Stromsta– 10th Subcircuit, McGing vacancyMarie Aileen Dempsey– 10th Subcircuit, McGing vacancyDaniel Alexander Trevino– 10th Subcircuit, O’Brien vacancyJohn Hourihane– 10th Subcircuit, O’Brien vacancyAudrey Victoria Cosgrove– 10th Subcircuit, O’Brien vacancyMary Catherine Marubio– 10th Subcircuit, O’Brien vacancyPatricia M. Fallon– 12th Subcircuit, Hanlon vacancyHoward J. Wise– 12th Subcircuit, Hanlon vacancyFrank R. DiFranco– 12th Subcircuit, Hanlon vacancyJoe Gump– 13th Subcircuit, Kulys Hoffman vacancyMatt Flamm– 13th Subcircuit, Kulys Hoffman vacancySusanne Michelle Groebner– 13th Subcircuit, Kulys Hoffman vacancyMichael P. Gerber– 13th Subcircuit, Kulys Hoffman vacancyGary William Seyring– 13th Subcircuit, Kulys Hoffman vacancyGerardi Tristan, Jr.– 14th Subcircuit, Bertucci vacancyDaniel O. Tiernan– 14th Subcircuit, Lacy vacancyHeather Mulligan Begley– 15th Subcircuit, Griffin vacancyNichole C. Patton– 15th Subcircuit, Griffin vacancy

Ranked ‘Not Qualified’ or‘Not Recommended’...

... byall three bar associations:

Daniel Epstein –Illinois Supreme Court, Freeman vacancyMaureen Patricia O’Leary– Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, Neville Jr. vacancyTiesha L. Simon– Cook County Circuit Court, Bellows vacancyU. O’Neal– Cook County Circuit Court, Ford vacancyBonnie Carol McGrath– Cook County Circuit Court, Mason vacancyDan Walsh– Cook County Circuit Court, Murphy Gorman vacancyWendelin "Wendi" DeLoach– Cook County Circuit Court, K. Sheehan vacancyKrista D. Butler–1st Subcircuit, Brooks vacancyThomas G. O’Brien– 3rd Subcircuit, Murphy vacancyAnne Shaw– 6th Subcircuit, Nega vacancyMable Taylor– 7th Subcircuit, Jackson vacancyIra I. Silverstein– 9th Subcircuit, Axelrood vacancyJohn Garrido– 10th Subcircuit, McGing vacancyLiam Kelly– 10th Subcircuit, O’Brien vacancyAngel Garcia– 13th Subcircuit, Kulys Hoffman vacancySteve Demitro– 14th Subcircuit, Bertucci vacancy

... byany of the three bar associations:

Shelly A. Harris –Illinois Supreme Court, Freeman vacancyCarolyn J. Gallagher–Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, Neville Jr. vacancySandra Gisela Ramos–Illinois Appellate Court, 1st District, Neville Jr. vacancyArthur D. Sutton– Cook County Circuit Court, Mason vacancyJoy E. Tolbert Nelson– Cook County Circuit Court, Mason vacancyJoseph Chico– Cook County Circuit Court, Mason vacancyAmanda "Mandy" Pillsbury– Cook County Circuit Court, Murphy Gorman vacancyKeely Patricia Hillison– Cook County Circuit Court, Murphy Gorman vacancyAraceli Reyes De La Cruz– Cook County Circuit Court, Roti vacancyDeidre Bauman– Cook County Circuit Court, C. Sheehan vacancyMaura McMahon Zeller– Cook County Circuit Court, C. Sheehan vacancyJames Samuel Worley– Cook County Circuit Court, K. Sheehan vacancyFelicia H. Simmons-Stovall– 2nd Subcircuit, "A" vacancyChelsea R. Robinson– 2nd Subcircuit, "A" vacancyLauren Brougham Glennon– 3rd Subcircuit, Flynn vacancyDavid A. Bonoma– 3rd Subcircuit, Flynn vacancyScott Edward Lipinski– 3rd Subcircuit, Flynn vacancyCory Eli Oshita– 6th Subcircuit, Pantle vacancyKristen Marie Lyons– 7th Subcircuit, Jackson vacancyThomas Peter Kougias– 9th Subcircuit, Luckman vacancyCarmine Trombetta– 12th Subcircuit, Hanlon vacancyMichael Harry Minton– 13th Subcircuit, Kulys Hoffman vacancyPerla Tirado– 14th Subcircuit, Lacy vacancy