Kilbride
As voting traditions go in Illinois, Supreme Court justices seeking retention always win.
But for Illinois Supreme Court Justice Thomas Kilbride, victory is not assured in next month's election.
The Democrat from Rock Island must get at least 60 percent voter approval in the state's 3rd Judicial District-a sometimes Republican-leaning district-to be retained to a second 10-year term.
Kilbride, one of four justices who voted in February to overturn the state's medical malpractice law, is the only one among those jurists facing voters who may hold him to account for that decision.
After the 4-2 court decision, which knocked down a 2005 state law that capped non-economic "pain and suffering" damages against hospitals and doctors, trial lawyers cheered. But the decision also made Kilbride a prime election target for the medical and business communities.
Read the full story at Legal Newsline.