Shall Sarah Jones be retained in office as Judge of the Circuit Court Twelfth Judicial Circuit?
What does this office do?
- Deciding trials in the county
- Ruling on evidence and setting sentences in criminal cases
- Deciding family, probate, and civil disputes
Affects: Public Safety and Crime Control, Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties, Housing Affordability,
Sarah Jones
Nonpartisan · Incumbent
Sarah Jones is a Will County circuit judge assigned to a felony criminal courtroom in Joliet; Will County voters retained her on the bench in 2014 and 2020.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 2 records
Was kept on the bench by Will County voters in a retention election, 200,661 yes to 92,988 no (about 68 percent yes).
November 3, 2020
Source: assets01.aws.connect.clarityelections.com
Was kept on the bench by Will County voters in a retention election, 119,825 yes to 48,342 no (about 71 percent yes; 60 percent was needed).
November 4, 2014
Source: assets01.aws.connect.clarityelections.com
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 2 favorable
Was rated Recommended for retention in the 2026 Illinois State Bar Association and Will County Bar Association lawyer poll, with about 70 percent of 70 responding lawyers saying she meets the requirements. Her temperament score was about 56 percent.
October 8, 2026Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: isba.org
Was recommended for retention in the 2020 Illinois State Bar Association lawyer poll with about 72 percent support, the lowest of nine Will County judges, and had the lowest temperament score (about 57 percent). The same poll had rated her not recommended in 2014.
September 17, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: patch.com
Source: assets01.aws.connect.clarityelections.com