This story was produced by Injustice WatchA nonprofit newsroom in Chicago that investigates equity and justice issues in the Cook County court system. Sign up here to receive their weekly newsletter.

CHICAGO — A Cook County judge was losing his bid to keep his job, and two more were in jeopardy as vote counting continued after Tuesday’s election.

Shannon O’Malley, one of two judges facing questions about whether they live in Cook County, had failed to reach the 60% required to retain her seat as of Wednesday, with votes to be counted in several dozen precincts and by mail. -ballots that have not yet been tabulated.

In addition to O’Malley, E. Kenneth Wright Jr., according to unofficial totals released by election officials. received 62.8% and Ieshia Gray received 62.1%.

All three endangered judges were the subject of Injustice Watch investigations ahead of the election.

Both O’Malley and Wright benefited from tax breaks Homes they own in Will County. Gray was the subject of a Judicial Board of Inquiry investigation spurred by allegations that he abused his power. Revealed by Injustice Watch.

Another Cook County judge was below 65 percent Wednesday morning: Kathy M. Flanagan. Deputy head of the Legal DepartmentHe has been criticized by bar groups for his temperament and is also the focus of a Judicial Board of Inquiry investigation over a courtroom dispute with a lawyer. It had 64.1 percent.

Wright, O’Malley and Gray were under 60% of the vote Wednesday morning in Chicago, with more support in the suburbs.

Wright, in particular, faced backlash from the Illinois State Bar Association before the election. cancels support. The Chicago Bar Association, which he once chaired, changed its rating to “not recommended” the day before the election after nearly a million people voted early. The Chicago Lawyers Council downgraded his rating from “well qualified” to “qualified” in light of Injustice Watch’s findings.

In a late development Wednesday, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans cited both O’Malley and Wright To the Illinois Board of Judicial Investigation to investigate residence conflicts. The decision came after the Cook County Circuit Court Executive Committee, where Evan Wright served, met to rule on the conduct of the two judges.

O’Malley was the only judge whose tenure was found to be inadvisable by all reporting bar associations that evaluated judicial candidates.

But the fate of the judges remained unclear Wednesday as nearly 40 precincts in Chicago did not report totals and tens of thousands of mail ballots in the city and county remained pending. Election officials said these votes will be counted on a rotating basis until November 19.

Chicago election officials could not say how many of the 266,000 mail-in ballots requested were returned Wednesday. About 106,000 mail-in ballots are outstanding in suburban Cook County, said Frank Herrera, a spokesman for Cook County Clerk Cedric Giles. Only a fraction of those are likely to be returned, and even fewer of those will include votes in judicial races.

None of the three judges in the closest races responded to requests for comment Wednesday.

In addition to the 75 circuit judges and two appellate judges trying to keep their positions, there were five partisan contests among candidates trying to get to the bench for the first time. As of Wednesday morning, the Democratic candidates all had significant margins. These pioneers were Pablo F. deCastro, Alon Stein, Frank J. Andreou, James “Jack” Costello, and John Hock.

Every two years, a portion of the judiciary elects to remain in office, and each judge who wishes to remain on the bench must receive 60 percent of the “yes” votes from the votes cast in their respective races. If a justice loses, the Illinois Supreme Court will fill the position. Circuit judges serve six-year terms; Appellate judges serve 10-year terms.

Before 2018, it was incredibly rare for a referee to lose a race for tenure, and most referees were still cruising to victory by comfortable margins. But if one of the endangered judges loses, it would be the third time in the last four elections.

The only judges who lost recently did so later embarrassing scandals or concerted movements to knock them down.. No public movements have emerged against any judges this year. Lawyers have clear incentives to avoid criticizing sitting judges, and progressive activists have said attention is instead focused on the presidential election and the first Chicago School Board elections, among other reasons. With attention largely focused elsewhere, judges I ran a silent campaignThey do little to promote themselves and are working harder than in past elections to avoid media scrutiny.

Elizabeth Monkus, senior attorney and project director for the Chicago Appleseed Center for Fair Courts, said voters are becoming more attuned to voter retention elections thanks to the efforts of bar associations, advocacy groups and Injustice Watch.

“I think more people are open to understanding how judges impact everything, not just people in courtrooms,” he said.

Injustice Watch offers almost no reporting on judges published a guide containing information all with various stories about notable candidates.

Injustice Watch was revealed last month wright And O’Malley They had received homestead exemptions on homes they owned in Will County. State law requires judges to live in the jurisdiction they serve and allows homeowners to qualify for homestead exemptions only at their “principal residence.” Will County officials said Wright quickly sought to eliminate tax exemptions after the story.

Wright’s support from bar associations has softened. O’Malley before running in 2018 He changed his political party and nameHe received negative marks from bar associations, citing concerns about his courtroom management and legal capacity.

O’Malley told Injustice Watch through his lawyer that he moved to Cook County in 2017 to live separately from his wife.

Injustice Watch in September gray appeared He was the subject of a rare investigation by the Judicial Inquiry Board into his interactions with a lawyer at Markham Courthouse. Gray repeatedly rejected the lawyer’s routine requests to be heard by a new judge and then decided to recuse herself from the cases, accusing him of being “unprofessional and abrasive.”