Teresa Molina-Gonzalez
Judge up for retention, on the Chicago ballot November 3, 2026. Incumbent.
Circuit Court of Cook County
Ratings
- Chicago Bar Association: Qualified
- Illinois State Bar Association: Yes
- Cook County Bar Association: No
- Injustice Watch: Former prosecutor
Record
Appointed to the Circuit Court in 2019 and elected in 2020; hears felony, misdemeanor, and traffic cases at the Maywood Courthouse after hearing small claims and eviction cases in the First Municipal District. Injustice Watch reports that in 2025 she granted pretrial release to a man charged with aggravated battery of a worker at a mental health facility, who while on electronic monitoring was accused of setting a woman on fire on the CTA, and that the decision drew public criticism. She did not respond to its requests for comment. A judge stays on the bench with a yes from 60 percent of voters.
Background
Chief of real estate prosecutions at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (2016-2019); Cook County assistant state's attorney, mainly in the felony trial division (2001-2016). Law degree from Ohio State University (2001).
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