Cook County Circuit Court Judge Gerardo Tristan Jr. faces a retention vote on the Nov. 3, 2026, general election ballot. North Shore residents in Cook County will decide whether Tristan keeps his seat on the bench.
In a retention race, voters answer "yes" or "no" on whether a sitting judge should remain in office. The race is nonpartisan. Tristan is certified for the ballot, according to BallotReady election data.
Candidate information
- Office sought: Illinois Circuit Court Judge, Cook County Circuit (retention)
- Party: Nonpartisan
- Education: Juris doctor, DePaul University (2002); bachelor's degree, Brown University (1992)
Experience and public service
Tristan has served as a Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2019, according to BallotReady profile data.
Before joining the bench, he worked as an assistant state's attorney at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office from 2003 to 2019. He served as a prosecutor at the Chicago Board of Education from 2000 to 2003.
Earlier in his career, Tristan worked as a proposal manager at Motorola from 1994 to 2000.
On the issues
No issue responses from Tristan were available for this profile.
Endorsements
Tristan received ratings of "Qualified" or higher from the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and the Illinois State Bar Association for the 14th Subcircuit, Bertucci vacancy in the 2020 general election. The ratings were reported by WTTW News on Oct. 1, 2020, and were claimed by the endorsing organizations.
- Chicago Bar Association — Qualified or higher (2020)
- Chicago Council of Lawyers — Qualified or higher (2020)
- Illinois State Bar Association — Qualified or higher (2020)
These ratings date from the 2020 election cycle. No 2026 retention-cycle ratings were available at the time of publication.
Candidate profile information is drawn from BallotReady data and publicly available records. No candidate questionnaire responses were available for this profile.
