7 seek to fill 1st black Supreme Court justice’s seat

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Seven Democrats are vying for a seat on the Illinois Supreme Court once held by the high court’s fist black justice.

Democrat Charles Freeman, who died March 2 at 86, held the post from 1990 to 2018, when he retired. P. Scott Neville, formerly an Illinois First District Appellate Court justice, was appointed to complete Freeman’s term.

Neville and six other candidates — five of whom are First District Appellate Court justices in Cook County — are seeking a new 10-year term on the court. With no Republicans in the race, the winner of Tuesday’s primary election will most likely be the victor in November’s general election.

Neville came under fire last summer when NBC5 Chicago reported that he had received a Homeowners’ Exemption on a Chicago home that listed his late mother as owner. Neville repaid $3,000 for four years in which he had received the exemption but didn’t live in the home.

In the only other Supreme Court race, two Republicans and a Democrat hope to replace retiring Republican Justice Lloyd Karmeier.

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