Cook County Circuit Court Judge Celestia L. Mays is on the Nov. 3 ballot for retention. The nonpartisan question asks voters whether Mays should continue serving on the Circuit Court of Cook County.
Mays was appointed to the bench by the Illinois Supreme Court, according to the Committee for Retention of Judges. She was elected an associate judge in 2019 and elected a circuit judge in 2020.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (retention)
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
- Education: Juris doctor from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law; bachelor's degree in political science and communications from the University of Michigan
- Professional background: Before joining the bench, Mays was the principal of Celestia L. Mays, P.C., for over 22 years, according to the Committee for Retention of Judges. Her practice concentrated in family law, probate law and residential real estate closings.
Experience and public service
Mays served as centennial president of the Cook County Bar Association in 2014–2015, according to the CCBA's past-presidents page. She is a board member of the Cook County Bar Association Foundation and a former board member of the Illinois Judicial Council.
Her professional memberships include the Illinois Judicial Council, the Illinois Judges Association, the National Bar Association and the American Bar Association. She is also a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Theta Omega Chapter.
Endorsements
All 13 bar associations that evaluate Cook County judges unanimously recommended Mays for retention, according to WTTW's 2026 General Election Voter Guide:
- Alliance of Bar Associations for Judicial Screening
- Asian American Bar Association
- Black Men Lawyers' Association
- Black Women Lawyers' Association
- Chicago Council of Lawyers
- Cook County Bar Association
- Decalogue Society of Lawyers
- Hispanic Bar Association
- Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Chicago
- Puerto Rican Bar Association
- Women's Bar Association of Illinois
Mays also received ratings of "Qualified" or higher for the 2020 Cook County Circuit Court election for the Funderburk vacancy, according to WTTW:
- Chicago Bar Association, Chicago Council of Lawyers, and Illinois State Bar Association
Candidate information is drawn from the Committee for Retention of Judges, BallotReady and WTTW's voter guide. No issue questionnaire responses were available for this retention race.
