Cook County Circuit Court Judge Laura Ayala-Gonzalez is on the ballot for a retention vote in the Nov. 3, 2026, Illinois general election.

The nonpartisan race asks voters whether to retain Ayala-Gonzalez on the Cook County Circuit Court bench. In a retention election, no opposing candidate appears on the ballot. Voters cast a simple "yes" or "no" on whether the judge should continue serving. She has been a circuit court judge since 2020, according to BallotReady, and is certified for the ballot.

Candidate information

  • Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (retention)
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, sociology and Spanish, Bradley University, 1997; juris doctor, John Marshall Law School, 2002

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Ayala-Gonzalez spent two decades as an assistant Cook County state's attorney, according to the Committee for Retention of Judges. During her prosecutorial career she litigated more than 100 felony jury trials, the committee's evaluation states.

Her roles in the State's Attorney's Office included first chair of the Complex Homicide Unit, supervisor of the Felony Trial Division and deputy supervisor of the Felony Review Unit. Those positions placed her at the center of some of the office's most serious criminal cases.

Since taking the bench in 2020, Ayala-Gonzalez has rotated through several divisions of the Circuit Court. She served in the Traffic Division and the First Municipal Division before moving to the Criminal Division to handle felony cases. She is assigned to Courtroom 303 at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse, according to the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Outside the courtroom, Ayala-Gonzalez has served as secretary of the Illinois Latino Judges Association. She has also been a board member and governance committee chair of the Community Memorial Foundation and a board member at Trinity High School, according to the Committee for Retention of Judges.

Endorsements

All 14 bar associations that interviewed and evaluated Ayala-Gonzalez rated her qualified and recommended her for retention, according to the Committee for Retention of Judges.

Candidate profile information is drawn from the Committee for Retention of Judges, BallotReady and the Circuit Court of Cook County. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this profile.