Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas M. Cushing faces a retention vote on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. The question is nonpartisan. Voters mark "Yes" or "No" on whether to keep a sitting judge.

Candidate information

  • Name: Thomas M. Cushing
  • Office: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit
  • Race: Retain Cushing? (nonpartisan retention)
  • Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
  • Education: Bachelor's degree in English and government, University of Notre Dame (1983); juris doctor, Loyola University Chicago (1988)

Experience and public service

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Cushing as an at-large Cook County circuit judge effective June 19, 2019. Justice Mary Jane Theis recommended the appointment, according to For What It's Worth, a blog covering Cook County judicial appointments. The appointment filled the vacancy left by the retirement of Judge Nicholas R. Ford. Cushing received highly qualified or recommended ratings from a dozen bar groups at the time, according to the For What It's Worth blog.

Before joining the bench, Cushing worked as a trial attorney at Ambrose & Cushing, PC from 1988 to 2005, according to the For What It's Worth blog. He later served as principal at Thomas M. Cushing, LLC from 2006 to 2019 and as of counsel at Christopher A. Kreid & Associates from 2013 to 2019, according to BallotReady.

Cushing served as a hearing board member at the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission starting in 2013, according to the For What It's Worth blog. He worked as managing director of strategic partnerships and policy at the Delta Institute from 2012 to 2013, according to BallotReady. He also served as adjunct faculty at Loyola University School of Law, according to the blog.

On the issues

No issue responses from Cushing were available for this profile.

Endorsements

All 13 bar associations in the WTTW Alliance unanimously rated Cushing "Yes" for retention, according to the WTTW Voter Guide.

  • 13 Bar Associations (WTTW Alliance) — unanimously recommended for retention

Endorsement ratings are claimed by the endorsing organizations and sourced through the WTTW Voter Guide.

This profile uses information from BallotReady, the WTTW Voter Guide and published reporting on Cook County judicial appointments. No candidate questionnaire responses were available.