D'Anthony Thedford, a Democrat and sitting Cook County Circuit Court judge, is seeking election in the 2026 general election. He is certified for the Karkula Vacancy seat on the Cook County Circuit Court ballot.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (Karkula Vacancy)
- Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
- Education: Bachelor's degree from Southern Adventist University (1992); juris doctor from the University of Alabama (1996)
Experience and public service
Thedford has served as a Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2024, according to the Illinois State Bar Association. The Illinois Supreme Court appointed him to an at-large seat.
Before joining the bench, Thedford spent years in private practice. He was an attorney at Thedford Garber Law from 2016 to 2024 and ran the Law Office of Tony Thedford PC from 2005 to 2016, according to BallotReady. He began his legal career as an assistant public defender in the Cook County Public Defender's office from 1997 to 2005, according to the Illinois State Bar Association.
Thedford has also worked in legal education. He has been an adjunct professor at DePaul University since 2019 and served as director of trial advocacy at Valparaiso University from 2017 to 2019, according to BallotReady.
He is a board member of the Illinois Prison Project, a former president of the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and a former board member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, according to the Illinois State Bar Association.
Endorsements
Thedford has received endorsements from bar associations, labor unions and the local Democratic party, according to the sources listed below.
- Chicago-area bar association alliance (13 associations) — Qualified, with an overall unanimous rating (source: WTTW Voter Guide)
- Chicago Bar Association — Highly Qualified (source: Illinois State Bar Association)
- IUOE Local 150 (source: BallotReady)
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134 (source: BallotReady)
- Chicago Federation of Labour (source: BallotReady)
- Cook County Democrats (source: BallotReady)
Candidate information in this profile is drawn from a reviewed candidate packet, including data from BallotReady, the Illinois State Bar Association and the WTTW Voter Guide. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this profile.
