Illinois Appellate Court Justice Bertina E. Lampkin is on the ballot Nov. 3, 2026, asking voters to retain her on the 1st District bench.
Voters in Wilmette, Winnetka, Kenilworth, Glencoe and Northfield will see Lampkin's name on their ballots. The 1st District Appellate Court hears appeals from Cook County Circuit Court cases, making its judges part of the legal system that directly affects North Shore residents. In a retention race, voters cast a simple "Yes" or "No" vote on whether a judge should keep the seat. There is no opposing candidate.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Illinois Appellate Court Judge, 1st District (retention)
- Race type: Nonpartisan
- Ballot status: Certified for the ballot
- Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
- Education: Bachelor's degree from Roosevelt University, 1974; juris doctor from DePaul University, 1974
Experience and public service
Lampkin has spent more than four decades in Cook County's legal system. She began her career as an assistant state's attorney at Cook County in 1974 and served in that role until 1985, according to BallotReady.
She then worked as a senior attorney at the Office of the Corporation Counsel from 1985 to 1987, according to BallotReady. In 1987, she became an associate judge on the Cook County Circuit Court. She was elevated to circuit judge in 1992 and also served as a supervising judge during her time on the circuit bench.
Lampkin joined the Illinois Appellate Court as a 1st District judge in 2009, the seat she now asks voters to let her keep.
Beyond the bench, Lampkin served on the Illinois Supreme Court's criminal pattern jury instructions committee for fifteen years, chairing the committee during her last five years on it, according to an earlier profile by the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts. She also taught in the area of death penalty litigation, led new judge classes and wrote practice guides for new judges, according to the same Appleseed Center profile.
On the issues
No issue responses from Lampkin were available for this profile.
Endorsements
The following endorsement was identified through the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts:
- Chicago Council of Lawyers — rated Lampkin "Qualified" for the Appellate Court. The Chicago Council of Lawyers is an independent attorneys' organization that evaluates judicial candidates.
Candidate profile information was drawn from BallotReady, the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts and the Illinois Courts website. No candidate questionnaire responses were available at the time of publication.
