Nick Kantas
Kantas wins bid for 4th Subcircuit vacancy
By Carol McGowan
Nick Kantas came out on top in the Democratic primary for Cook County judge in the 4th Subcircuit.
He won over Amanda Moira Pillsbury in the race to fill the Gavin vacancy. Kantas had 12,652 votes to 10,393 for Pillsbury with 99 percent the vote in (218 of 221 precincts), according to unofficial returns from the Cook County Clerk’s Office.
Turnout was 12 percent with 27,242 votes out of 227,382 registered voters.
Kantas is looking forward to being on the bench and working for the public.
“I’m really honored that the voters would place their trust in me, and I look forward to working hard on behalf of them every day,” he said Wednesday morning.
Kantas has been dedicated to public service and the people of Cook County for the past 17 years as a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
As a prosecutor, Kantas says he’s in court every day, and sees how parts of the system work well, and parts that need improvement.
“As a judge, I look forward to being positive and treating people fairly. Come November, I will have 18 years of trial experience working with defense attorneys and courtroom staff to make sure that the courtrooms I work in are based on fairness and efficiency, and let people be heard when they come into court.”
Born in Palos Heights and raised in Oak Lawn, he attended public elementary schools, then went on to Marist High School in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood neighborhood.
He furthered his education at Northern Illinois University and Valparaiso University.
When he’s not in the courtroom, Nick wears many hats in the community.
He is a commissioner for the Lyons Township Mental Health Commission, and coordinator for the Western Springs Peer Jury Program. He also has served as a trustee of the Lyons Township School Treasurer’s Office.
Nick, his wife, who is also an attorney, and their two children live in Western Springs.
When asked about what he sees in his future, “I’m looking forward to this new part of my career, and looking forward to continuing my work in public service.”
In the other 4th Subcircuit race, Shawnte Raines-Welch outpolled three other candidates Tuesday night.
Unofficial results with 217 of 221 precincts reporting, Raines-Welch garnered 8,180 votes to 6,370 for Chloe Pedersen, 5,536 for Jerry Barrido and 3,361 for Patrick Campanelli.
Local News
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.
Neighbors
Capitol Briefs: Expansion of postpartum coverage, ban on kangaroos among hundreds of measures to pass House
By ALEX ABBEDUTO & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois kangaroo owners are one step closer to being forced to surrender their marsupials this week after the House passed a bill criminalizing their possession. That was one of more than 300 bills to pass the House ahead of a Friday procedural deadline.…
Pritzker says state ‘obviously’ needs to change 2010 law that shrunk pension benefits
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com With a month-and-a-half left in the General Assembly’s spring session, Gov. JB Pritzker’s administration is readying its proposal to address Illinois’ chronically underfunded pension system. But the governor this week also acknowledged in the strongest terms yet that any plans to finally get the state on track toward…
Pritzker’s health insurance reforms targeting ‘utilization management’ clear House
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker celebrated a partial legislative victory Thursday night when the House passed his initiative to end some practices health insurance companies use to control the amount and cost of health care services individual patients receive. The “Healthcare Protection Act,” House Bill 5395, cleared the…
Lawmakers, cannabis industry calls for ban on ‘delta-8’ and other psychoactive hemp products
By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Illinois’ largest cannabis business association is pushing to ban the sale of delta-8 THC, an increasingly popular psychoactive substance that’s popped up in corner stores across the country in recent years. New legislation filed in Springfield this week revives an ongoing debate over delta-8 and other…
As state continues to inventory lead pipes, full replacement deadlines are decades away
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com Lead pipes in public water systems and drinking fixtures have been banned in new construction since 1986, when Congress amended the Safe Drinking Water Act, but they are still in use across the U.S. and in Illinois. The presence of lead pipes has persisted due in part to…
Capitol Briefs: Bill creating new early childhood agency among 244 to advance
By ALEX ABBEDUTO HANNAH MEISEL & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to create a new state agency to oversee Illinois’ various early childhood programs moved forward on Friday after the state Senate’s unanimous approval. It was one of 244 bills that cleared the Senate this week. Early childhood…
INVESTIGATE MIDWEST: Farmers have clamored for the Right to Repair for years. It’s getting little traction in John Deere’s home state
By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest Originally published April 10, 2024 During the 2023 harvest season, one of Jake Lieb’s tractors quit working. A week later, his combine stopped working, too. Both were new — and he was locked out from making any repairs himself because of software restrictions embedded in the machines. Instead, a technician…
Capitol Briefs: Pritzker appoints first-ever Prisoner Review Board director; Chicago advances migrant funding
By JERRY NOWICKI & DILPREET RAJU Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Weeks after two high-profile resignations at the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday appointed the first-ever executive director to help lead the beleaguered agency. To fill the newly created position, the governor tapped Jim Montgomery, who most recently served as director of…
Advocates renew push to tighten firearm laws aimed at protecting domestic violence victims
By COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois Clongcor@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – Advocates for stricter gun laws rallied at the state Capitol Tuesday for a measure aimed at protecting domestic violence victims and two other criminal justice reforms. The bills are backed by organizations such as Moms Demand Action and One Aim Illinois among others. “These policies support…
Education leaders seek added state funding to help districts accommodate influx of migrants
By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com SPRINGFIELD – The recent surge of international migrants arriving in Illinois has brought with it a host of new challenges for state and local officials. Those range from filling their most basic needs like emergency food, clothing and shelter, to more complex issues like lining them up with…