With two vacant appellate court seats, appointed Appellate Judge James “Randy” Moore intends to announce his plan to seek election to the Fifth District Appellate Court.
His Tuesday press conference in Mount Vernon was postponed.
Moore plans to run on the Republican ticket for former Justice James M. Wexstten’s seat that was left vacant after he announced his retirement in January.
In March 2014, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed S. Gene Schwarm of the Fourth Judicial Circuit to serve for the remainder of Wexstten’s term, which expires in December 2016.
State Sen. Dave Luechtefeld (R-Okawville) is serving as Moore’s campaign chairman.
More was elected in 2008 and was recently retained in 2014 to the deep southern Illinois First Circuit Court based in Marion.
Moore earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 1974.
He later received his juris doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 1977.
Moore began working as an assistant city attorney for the City of Carbondale until he founded his own law firm in 1979.
Then in 2007, Moore was appointed to the First Judicial Circuit Court based in Marion, Ill. He then successfully ran for election in 2008 and was retained again in 2014.
He was assigned to the Fifth District Appellate Court on Jan. 2 by the seven-member Illinois Supreme Court.
Moore has been a trustee of the Judicial Retirement System since 2012.
Moore and his wife Cynthia have been married since 1975. They have eight children and ten grandchildren.
Second Judicial Circuit Court Judge Jo Beth Weber and First Judicial Circuit Judge Brad Bleyer are also running on the Democratic ticket for Wexstten’s seat.
Schwarm, a Republican from rural Fayette County, said he will not be seeking the seat he currently occupies. He plans to retire following his 22-year judicial career when his term expires.