Cook County Circuit Court Judge Anjana Hansen will appear on the Nov. 3 general election ballot for a retention vote.

North Shore voters will see Hansen's name as part of a yes-or-no question asking whether she should remain on the Cook County Circuit Court bench. Retention races are nonpartisan. Voters do not choose between candidates. Instead, they decide whether a sitting judge keeps the seat. Hansen is certified for the ballot, according to election data compiled by BallotReady.

Hansen is listed as serving on the Cook County Circuit Court, according to BallotReady profile data. Voters in Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield will see the retention question on their ballots.

Hansen's hometown is Evanston, according to a profile published by the Illinois Courts website. She has said her parents are immigrants from India and the Philippines and that she is the first lawyer in her family. Hansen has said she founded the Asian American Judges Association.

"I am most proud of starting the Asian American Judges Association," Hansen said in the Illinois Courts profile. "One of the reasons I ran for judge is because, at the time, there were not that many Asian Americans on the bench in Cook County."

Candidate information

• Office sought: Cook County Circuit Court Judge (retention)
• Election date: Nov. 3, 2026
• Party: Nonpartisan
• Hometown: Evanston, Illinois

Experience and public service

Hansen served as an assistant state's attorney in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office before joining the bench.

She also served two terms as alderman of Evanston's 9th Ward, winning election in 2005 and 2009, according to Trellis.Law records. Separately, she worked as a contract attorney and administrative hearing officer for the City of Evanston. That role involved handling legal and administrative matters for the city government alongside her elected service.

Hansen has taught at several institutions. She served as an instructor at Northwestern University's School of Professional Studies for Police Staff and Command and at Loyola University Chicago's Institute for Paralegal Studies. She also taught at the Evanston Police Department's Citizen Police Academy.

Education

• Bachelor's degree: St. Norbert College, 1994
• J.D.: The John Marshall Law School, now UIC School of Law

Hansen earned her bachelor's degree in 1994, according to Trellis.Law records. The Illinois Courts profile identifies her law school as The John Marshall Law School, now known as UIC School of Law.