Judge Edward Arce faces Cook County retention vote in 2026

Cook County Circuit Court Judge Edward A. Arce will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot for a retention vote. Voters will decide whether Arce should remain on the bench by voting "yes" or "no" in the nonpartisan race.

Arce has served as a Circuit Court judge in Cook County since 2008, according to BallotReady. This will be his third retention election. He was retained by voters in both 2014 and 2020, according to the Illinois Latino Judges Association.

Candidate information

Name: Edward A. Arce
Office: Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit
Race: Retain Arce? (nonpartisan)
Election: Illinois General Election, Nov. 3, 2026
Education: Bachelor's degree, University of Illinois (1981); juris doctor, Illinois Institute of Technology (1985)
Personal: Married, three adult children, four grandchildren

Arce is a son of Mexican immigrants and was born, educated and practiced law in Chicago, according to the Illinois Latino Judges Association. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in 1981 and his juris doctor from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1985, according to BallotReady.

Experience and public service

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Arce to the Circuit Court bench in 2008, and he was then elected by voters in the Fourteenth Subcircuit and retained in both 2014 and 2020, according to the Illinois Latino Judges Association.

Before joining the bench, Arce was a partner at Whitcup & Arce P.C. from 1986 to 2008, according to BallotReady. That private-sector legal career spanned more than two decades before his appointment.

He has served in the Domestic Relations Division at the Sixth Municipal District courthouse in Markham, according to the Chicago Council of Lawyers judicial directory. Beyond the courtroom, Arce has served as faculty for new judge orientation and at biennial judicial education conferences, according to the Illinois Latino Judges Association.

On the issues

No issue responses from Arce were available for this profile.

Endorsements

Endorsement and rating information is drawn from the sources cited above.

The Chicago Council of Lawyers rated Arce "Qualified" for both his November 2014 and November 2020 retention elections, according to the council's judicial directory.