Illinois Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court

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The Illinois Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court is a trial court in Illinois that presides over the counties of Monroe, Perry, Randolph, St. Clair and Washington.[1]

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Court

Ballotpedia:Trial Courts
Jurisdiction of the Sixth Judicial Circuit

Circuit court judges

At-large judges

Resident judges

Associate judges

Former judges

See also

External links


Illinois courts

Federal courts:

Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois

State courts:

Illinois Supreme Court • Illinois Appellate Court • Illinois Circuit Court

State resources:

Courts in Illinois • Illinois judicial elections • Judicial selection in Illinois

Elections

See also: Illinois judicial elections

Illinois is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Illinois, click here.

Selection method

See also: Partisan elections

There are 513 judges on the Illinois Circuit Court, each elected in partisan elections to six-year terms. Upon the completion of these terms, judges who wish to continue serving must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections.[2]

The chief judge of each circuit court is selected by peer vote; he or she serves in that capacity indefinitely.[2]

The circuit courts are also served by 391 associate judges, who are limited in that they may not preside over cases in which the defendant is charged with a felony (an offense punishable by one or more years in prison). Associate judges are appointed to four-year terms by circuit judges.[3][2]

Midterm vacancies are filled by Illinois Supreme Court appointment.[2]

Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[2]

  • a U.S. citizen;
  • a circuit/county resident; and
  • licensed to practice law in Illinois.

Election rules

Primary election

The general primary occurs on the third Tuesday in March.[4] Unlike many states with contested judicial elections, races in Illinois are regularly contested, often with several candidates running for a seat. The Illinois primary is closed, meaning that voters must declare which major political party's ballot they wish to vote on.[5]

The candidate that wins the most votes in the primary advances to the general election to compete against the candidate from the other party.[4] If only one party has candidates in a primary race, that winner will continue on to run unopposed in the general election.[6] Uncontested primary candidates are not included on the primary ballot but instead automatically advance to the general election.[4][7]

General election

The general election is held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of November.[4]

Retention election

At the expiration of their term, judges may run for retention. Judges seeking retention are required to file a declaration of candidacy to succeed themselves with the secretary of state at least six months prior to the general election. The names of judges seeking retention are then given to voters on a special judicial ballot—without party designation and without an opposing candidate—featuring the sole question of whether he or she should be retained for another term in office.[8] Retention elections are held along with the general elections in the specific district or circuit where the judge is seeking retention. To be retained, judges must receive three-fifths of the vote.[9]


Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Illinois Courts, "Judges of the 20th Circuit Court," accessed May 19, 2014
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Illinois," archived October 2, 2014
  3. ↑ State of Illinois, "About the Courts in Illinois," accessed June 30, 2014
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Illinois State Board of Elections, "Voting on Election Day," accessed January 25, 2016
  5. ↑ Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago, "2014 Primary: Frequently Asked Questions," accessed March 12, 2014
  6. ↑ The News-Gazette, "John Roska: Judicial elections explained," March 9, 2014
  7. ↑ The Chicago Tribune, "Unopposed Candidates Find Waiting The Primary Concern," February 3, 1992, accessed March 7, 2014
  8. ↑ The Illinois Courts, "About the Courts in Illinois," accessed March 10, 2014
  9. ↑ Illinois Constitution, Article VI, Section 12 (d)
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