SPRINGFIELD – Lawyers active in Madison and St. Clair counties contributed $142,000 to Democrat Illinois Supreme Court campaigns in the Chicago area as of Sept. 13.
They gave $88,500 to Second Judicial District candidate Elizabeth Rochford and $53,500 to Third District candidate Mary O’Brien.
John Driscoll’s firm in St. Louis gave Rochford $6,000 in February and Tom Keefe of Swansea gave her $6,000 in March.
Keefe’s firm and John Simmons’s firm of Alton each gave Rochford $12,000 in June.
Simmons’s firm gave O’Brien $12,000 on Aug. 19.
Keefe gave O’Brien $6,000 on Aug. 24.
Keefe gave O’Brien another $6,000 on Aug. 27, and former Third Circuit chief judge Ann Callis of Granite City gave her $1,000.
Simmons’s firm gave Rochford $12,000 on Aug. 29.
Three firms put $33,000 together and split it evenly between the campaigns.
Rich, Rich, and Cooksey of Belleville gave $12,000 to O’Brien on Sept. 6, and $12,000 to Rochford on Sept. 9.
The Walton Telken firm of Edwardsville gave $2,500 to O’Brien on Sept. 6, and $2,500 to Rochford on Sept. 9.
Brad Badgley of Belleville gave $2,000 to O’Brien on Sept. 6, and $2,000 to Rochford on Sept. 9.
Also on Sept. 9, the Korein Tillery firm of St. Louis and David Cates’s firm in Swansea each gave Rochford $12,000.
Cates gave O’Brien $12,000 on Sept. 13.
A different sort of lawyer, State Rep. Jay Hoffman, transferred $10,000 from his campaign to O’Brien’s campaign on Sept. 17.
As of June 30, O’Brien reported $371,715.82 in available funds.
Her opponent, Republican Justice Michael Burke, holds a Supreme Court seat by appointment.
He reported $300,485.96 in available funds as of June 30, including an $80,000 personal loan to his campaign.
Rochford reported $112,943.49.
Her opponent, Republican Mark Curran, reported $10,265.44.