Cook County Circuit Court Judge John Michael Allegretti will appear on North Shore voters' ballots Nov. 3 in a nonpartisan retention vote.

Allegretti has served as a Circuit Court judge in Cook County since 2014, according to BallotReady. He is certified for the ballot.

In a retention race, voters vote "yes" or "no" on whether to keep the judge. The Cook County Circuit Court's jurisdiction includes cases originating in New Trier Township.

Candidate information

  • Name: John Michael Allegretti
  • Office: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit
  • Race: Retain John Allegretti? (Yes/No)
  • Election: Illinois General Election, Nov. 3, 2026
  • Party: Nonpartisan
  • Education: Juris doctor from St. Thomas University (1995); bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois

Experience and public service

Before joining the bench, Allegretti held several government legal posts in Cook County, according to the Committee for Retention of Judges. He served as general counsel and deputy assessor at the Cook County Assessor's Office and as general counsel at the Cook County Treasurer's Office. He also worked as an assistant state's attorney in the Tax Division and Torts and Civil Rights Division at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office.

Allegretti served as a judicial hearing officer at the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board, which hears appeals from property owners across Cook County, including those in New Trier Township.

In the private sector, he worked as corporate counsel at North American Real Estate Management. He also served as an associate attorney at the law firms of Pollack, Weis and DuBrock; Tristano and Tristano; and McDermott and McDermott. He has litigated cases in federal and state court and before administrative agencies. He argued appeals in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Illinois Appellate Court.

Allegretti taught business management, human resource management and business law as an adjunct professor at Wilbur Wright College. He also served as Democratic committeeman for Riverside Township and as vice president of the Galewood-Montclare Community Organization in Chicago. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Judges Association.

On the issues

No issue responses from Allegretti were available for this profile.

Candidate profiles are based on reviewed public sources including BallotReady and the Committee for Retention of Judges. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this profile.