Ashonta C. Rice seeks Cook County judgeship in 2026

Ashonta C. Rice, a Democrat, is running for Circuit Court judge in Cook County's Coghlan Vacancy in the Nov. 3, 2026, general election. She was appointed to the Circuit Court of Cook County bench effective Aug. 10, 2026, according to Special Order 2026-50 from the court.

Rice is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.

Candidate information

Party: Democratic
Office sought: Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (Coghlan Vacancy)
Education: Bachelor's degree in finance, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; juris doctor, Loyola University New Orleans School of Law; certificate in divorce mediation skills, Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, according to BallotReady and her campaign website
Hometown: Grew up in Chicago Heights, according to her campaign website

Experience and public service

Rice is a family law attorney. She has practiced for twenty years, according to her campaign website. She is a founding partner of the Akiwowo Law Group, a family law and estate planning practice, where she has worked since 2007, according to BallotReady. Before that, she worked as an attorney at the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian from 2004 to 2007, according to BallotReady.

She has served as a Cook County arbitrator since 2007, according to BallotReady. Rice said on her campaign website that she is a Chicago Bar Association-approved child representative and guardian ad litem, routinely appointed by the Cook County Circuit Court to serve in contentious and complex cases.

Rice said on her campaign website that she has volunteered at her faith community's legal clinic, preparing pro se documents for people who could not afford an attorney and preparing expungement applications and orders for returning citizens.

She said she has spoken as a panelist in continuing legal education seminars for the Illinois State Bar Association and the Black Women Lawyers Association of Greater Chicago. Rice said she was named one of the best divorce lawyers in Chicago by Forbes Advisor in 2023. She said she was recognized as one of the 10 Best Attorneys for Exceptional and Outstanding Client Service by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys seven years in a row: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Endorsements

Rice received "Qualified" or "Recommended" ratings from 14 bar associations, according to her campaign website's bar evaluation page. She is also endorsed by IUOE Local 150, according to BallotReady.

Bar associations that rated her Qualified or Recommended: