19th Judicial Circuit Judge James K. Booras has retained his seat on the Lake County bench following the Nov. 3 general election, according to Lake County election results.
Booras was one of two circuit judges facing retention on the Lake County ballot. Judge Marnie M. Slavin also appeared as a separate retention question, according to Patch's Deerfield election guide.
Unlike a typical race between two candidates, a retention vote asks one question: Should this judge remain in office? Voters mark "yes" or "no." Under the Illinois Constitution, a judge must receive at least 60% "yes" votes to stay, a higher bar than the simple majority required in contested elections, according to NBC Chicago.
If a judge falls short of 60%, the seat becomes a vacancy filled by appointment, with the appointed judge facing a contested election in the next cycle.
Who is James K. Booras?
Booras serves as a circuit judge in the 19th Judicial Circuit Court's Criminal Division felony section, according to VoteQualifiedJudges.com. The Illinois Supreme Court appointed him to the circuit bench in 2000. He won election in 2002 and served as chief judge of the circuit from 2008 to 2010.
Before joining the bench, Booras worked as a Waukegan city prosecutor, a Lake County assistant state's attorney and in private practice. He earned his law degree from Lewis University College of Law in 1979. He was an associate judge starting in 1991 and was last retained by voters in 2020.
Booras is recognized as the first Greek-American judge in Lake County.
What's next
Lake County election results are not considered final until 14 days after Election Day to allow for late-arriving mail and provisional ballots, according to a Lake County government newsletter. Circuit court judges serve six-year terms under Illinois law.
