Hylla announces application process for vacant associate judgeship

The process to fill a vacancy on the Madison County bench has begun.

Chief Judge Dave Hylla announced Tuesday that he is now accepting applications for an associate judgeship, a post that became available earlier this month when Judge James Hackett was appointed a circuit judge.

Hackett had served as an associate judge since 1995. The Illinois Supreme Court appointed him to fill the vacancy left by former Chief Judge Ann Callis, who resigned from the judiciary in order to run for the 13th Congressional District seat in next year’s election.

Associate judges are appointed by a vote of the circuit judges. Any U.S. citizen, who is licensed to practice law in Illinois and lives in the Third Judicial Circuit, can apply for the position.

Applications must be received by the director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) by 5 p.m. July 18. They can be obtained from the chief judge’s office, the AOIC or the Supreme Court’s website at state.il.us/court.