Cook County Circuit Court Judge John Michael Allegretti will appear on the general election ballot for a retention vote.

Allegretti has served on the Cook County Circuit Court since 2014, according to BallotReady. The retention question is nonpartisan. Voters across Cook County, including Park Ridge, will decide whether to keep him on the bench. In a judicial retention race, voters answer "yes" or "no" on whether a sitting judge should remain in office, and no opposing candidate appears on the ballot.

Candidate information

  • Name: John Michael Allegretti
  • Office: Cook County Circuit Court Judge
  • Election: Nov. 3, 2026 (nonpartisan retention)
  • Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois; juris doctor from St. Thomas University (1995)
  • Professional memberships: Chicago Bar Association, Alliance of Illinois Judges, Illinois Judges Association, American Bar Association and the Italian American Judges Association

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Allegretti held several government legal posts, according to the Committee for Retention of Judges. He served as general counsel and deputy assessor at the Cook County Assessor's Office and as general counsel at the Cook County Treasurer's Office. He also worked as an assistant state's attorney in the Tax Division and the Torts and Civil Rights Division of the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Allegretti served as a judicial hearing officer at the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board.

In the private sector, he worked as corporate counsel at North American Real Estate Management and as an associate attorney at the law firms of Pollack, Weis and DuBrock; Tristano and Tristano; and McDermott and McDermott. He has litigated and tried cases in federal court, state court and before administrative agencies, and argued appeals before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Illinois Appellate Court, according to the committee.

An active community organizer and activist, Allegretti served as vice president of the Galewood-Montclare Community Organization in Chicago, according to the committee. He taught business management, human resource management and business law as an adjunct professor at Wilbur Wright College. He also served as Democratic committeeman for Riverside Township.

No candidate questionnaire responses were available as of publication.