BEST JUDGE

Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Leslie Graves

Lawyers tend not to like her, which explains why Leslie Graves received such low marks in a county bar poll prior to last year’s election that she was deemed not recommended. Graves also had a poor showing in the bar poll when she won the seat in the 2000 election. Didn’t matter, because there are more voters than lawyers, and Graves didn’t have trouble winning her seat or keeping it. She is now the chief judge for the Seventh Circuit, and she hasn’t been afraid to order people around who need ordering. Perhaps the best example is Graves ending open access to judicial chambers where attorneys, once free to roam, now must make arrangements, just like everybody else. The move irritated lawyers, but it was a good move for folks who couldn’t help but wonder about inside deals when lawyers entered and exited courtrooms through back doors that lead to judicial offices. Runner-up: John Schmidt