CHICAGO – The four Democrats running this year to represent Cook County on the Illinois Supreme Court speak of the importance of maintaining decorum when deciding the state's highest legal issues.

But vacancies are rare and there's much at stake, so it's not surprising that the primary race to fill the spot of retired Chief Justice Thomas Fitzgerald has featured ample campaign spending, television ads and polite but pointed sniping about everything from endorsements to Chicago's mayoral race.

In 2010, Justice Mary Jane Theis was appointed to serve out the rest of Fitzgerald's term, but challenging her for a full 10-year stint are two appellate judges – Aurelia Pucinski, a former Cook County circuit court clerk with name recognition and a history of being a political spoiler, and Joy Cunningham, who would be the first black female on the high court. Also running is attorney Thomas Flannigan, who is setting himself apart by refusing to take campaign contributions, saying he'll be "beholden only to justice."