The Ballot Brief
Illinois
Candidate profile

We use AI to research and write election information. Errors are possible. Verify important details with official sources.

James A. Knecht

Nonpartisan · Illinois · 2026 · Incumbent

On the November 3 ballot for Judicial Retention, Appellate Court Judge James A. Knecht (4th Judicial District), Illinois

Was James A. Knecht elected? The official answer comes December 4.

Illinois makes results final in three steps.
✓
Done · Nov 3
Votes were cast and counted
Election night totals are a first count, not the final one.
2
Happening now · by Nov 24
Counties double-check their counts
The county reviews mail ballots, provisional ballots and any recount, then sends official totals to the state.
3
Next · Dec 4
Illinois makes it official
The State Board of Elections certifies the result. The winner appears on this page that day.

What local news is reporting

Not official yetUpdated November 5, 2026

This report is cited to the outlet that published it. We do not call races. Official running count: Illinois official results.

Judicial Retention, Appellate Court Judge James A. Knecht (4th Judicial District)
No report found yet

Reports are checked daily until Illinois certifies on December 4; a certified winner replaces the report on that day.

Biography

James A. Knecht is a sitting justice of the Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court, per the Illinois Courts judicial directory. He graduated with honors from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1973, clerked for Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert C. Underwood, and served as an Associate Circuit Judge and then Circuit Judge before his election to the Fourth District Appellate Court in 1986, per his Illinois Courts biography. He chairs the Appellate Court Administrative Committee and has taught as an adjunct professor at Illinois State University and the University of Illinois College of Law, per the same source. No campaign website was found as of October 6, 2026.

On the ballot

Judicial Retention, Appellate Court Judge James A. Knecht (4th Judicial District)Illinois · 2026Macon County sample ballot

See your full ballot

Your address is only used to match your districts.

Voting info and more

Voting info and more
How we source this

Profile facts follow official election office filings and the sources cited in each biography. Roster last verified October 24, 2026. Official sources are the final word on who appears on your ballot.

Verify with the official filingSee everything that was on your ballotIllinois 2026 ballotThe Ballot Brief home