North Shore voters will see Cook County Circuit Court Judge Kristyna Colleen Ryan on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot for retention. The nonpartisan race asks a simple question: Should Ryan keep her seat on the bench?
In a retention election, no opposing candidate runs. Voters mark "yes" or "no" on whether to keep the judge. The question appears on every Cook County ballot, meaning residents in Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield will all weigh in.
Candidate information
- Name: Kristyna Colleen Ryan
- Office: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit
- Race: Retain Kristyna Ryan? (nonpartisan)
- Election: Nov. 3, 2026, Illinois General Election
- Education: Law degree from Illinois Institute of Technology (2000); bachelor's degree in natural resources management and policy from Ohio State University (1995)
Experience and public service
Ryan has served as a Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2008, according to Ballotpedia. Before taking the bench, she worked as an associate attorney at the firm Childress Duffy.
She serves as a Problem-Solving Courts judge, presiding over the Mental Health Treatment Court and the Veterans' Treatment Court, according to the Cook County Circuit Court. Problem-Solving Courts pair defendants who have mental health conditions or military service backgrounds with supervised treatment programs.
The Nov. 3, 2026, vote will be Ryan's third retention cycle. Voters kept her on the bench in 2014 with 78.3 percent of the vote and again in 2020 with 78.2 percent, according to Ballotpedia.
Endorsements
The Illinois State Bar Association recommended Ryan for retention in 2014, according to the ISBA's published results. No additional endorsements were available in the reviewed candidate packet.
No issue responses or campaign platform statements from Ryan were available in the reviewed candidate packet for this profile.
