LeChien
Baricevic
Haida
Three St. Clair County circuit judges in the 20th Judicial Circuit were easily retained to six-year terms.
Circuit Judge John Baricevic was retained with 63 percent of the vote. In St. Clair County, Baricevic, who is the circuit's chief judge, received 39,855 yes votes to 26,422 no votes. In East St. Louis, he received 6,022 yes votes to 824 no votes.
Judges seeking retention must receive at least 60 percent of the vote to be retained.
Baricevic, a Democrat, was first elected judge in 2004. He became chief judge in 2006 after then-Chief Judge Jan Fiss stepped down from the position after the DUI arrest of Circuit Judge Patrick Young on Dec. 3, 2006. Fiss had been a passenger in Young's car at the time of the arrest.
Previously, Baricevic led the St. Clair County Board as chairman for 14 years. He was the county's state's attorney from 1980 to 1990 and an assistant state's attorney from 1978 to 1980.
Circuit Judge Robert LeChien, a Democrat, was retained with 66 percent of the vote. In St. Clair County, he received 41,915 yes votes to 23,536 no votes. In East St. Louis, he received 5,889 yes votes to 882 no votes.
LeChien was first appointed associate judge in 1987. In 1998, he ran unopposed and was retained in the general election of 2004.
Circuit Judge Dennis Hatch, a Democrat, was retained to a second six-year term with 67 percent of the vote. In St. Clair County he received 42,251 votes to 22,570 no votes. In East St. Louis he received 5,918 yes votes to 824 no votes.
In other St. Clair County judicial races, State's Attorney Robert Haida, a Democrat, ran unopposed to fill a vacancy created by Young, who will retire next month.
Associate Judge Michael Cook, a Democrat, also ran unopposed in the election. He succeeds Circuit Judge Annette Eckert.