Dear Fellow Citizen:

I am asking for your vote. The primary election is set for March 20, 2012; with the general (final) election in November, 2012. If elected, I promise to continue to work hard as a Cook County Judge and to decide cases in a fair manner.

I have judicial experience. I was appointed as a Cook County Judge in 2009. In my time on the bench, I have presided over dozens of trials, dozens of pre-trial motions, and jury trials. I have earned the respect and support of fellow judges, attorneys, and professional organizations. All major Bar Groups have examined my work habits, my demeanor and my decisions. They all have found me qualified and they all have recommended that I continue to serve my fellow citizens as a judge.

Before becoming a judge, I worked full-time as an attorney for 20 years throughout Cook County. I have represented clients charged with all types of crimes - from minor misdemeanors to serious felonies. I have litigated bench trials and jury trials in the criminal adult courts and the juvenile courts. I have litigated dozens of complex cases before the Appellate Court of Illinois. I have represented clients before the Illinois Supreme Court, and the United States Federal District Court. The decisions in many of my Appellate cases are published in Illinois law books, as established case-law.

My life experience has prepared me to understand people. I have built my life here in Chicago, Cook County. I am a registered voter, and an active citizen, who was educated at local schools. I graduated from Von Steuben Public High School on the north-side of Chicago. I earned my college degree at the University of Illinois - Chicago. I continued my legal education at the John Marshall School of Law in Chicago.

I have volunteered to make significant contributions to the legal profession. I served on the Executive Board of the Asian American Bar Association and the North American South Asian Bar Association. I served as the President of the Asian American Coalition of Chicago. I have enjoyed my experiences working to mentor law students, and serving as a panel speaker. I continue to direct seminars for attorneys working to continue their legal education. In 2004, I was honored to receive the ‘community service award’ by former Chicago mayor, Richard M. Daley.

Our American democracy is strengthened when citizens have full confidence in the fairness and integrity of the courts. We all benefit when competent legal practitioners (and good people) are elected to serve as judges. I treat everyone who appears before me with dignity, respect, and fairness. I am hard working and conscientious. You can be confident that voting for me is the right thing to do.

Respectfully,
Pamela M. Leeming
Cook County Judge