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Methodology Used by the Chicago Council of Lawyers in Evaluating Federal District Judges, Magistrate Judges and Bankruptcy Judges During 1991, the Chicago Council of Lawyers undertook its fourth, and most comprehensive, evaluation of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In 1971-1972, 1975-76, and 1978-1979, the Council conducted its evaluation by distributing a detailed questionnaire to a sample of members of the Court's general bar. The Court's "trial bar" consists of members of its general bar who meet certain experience requirements in trial practice. Because trial bar members are likely to have greater knowledge of the Court and its judges, in 1991 the Council distributed a survey questionnaire to a random sample of trial bar members. However, the current evaluation differs from our past federal court evaluations in several important respects. First, in addition to circulating a questionnaire, Council investigators conducted hundreds of in-depth interviews with attorneys having recent personal experience before the judicial officers under evaluation. Council investigators also reviewed the judges' written decisions. In addition, for the first time, the Council has prepared narrative summaries of its evaluations of the twenty-three District Judges, as well as the Magistrate Judges and Bankruptcy Judges serving in the Northern District of Illinois. The Council conducted its evaluation by examining the following factors for each District Judge, Magistrate Judge and Bankruptcy Judge: legal ability, decisiveness, diligence, integrity, judicial temperament, fairness, respect for the rule of law and independence from political and institutional influences.
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