The newest associate judges who will serve at St. Clair County Circuit Court are Stacy Campbell, 37, of O'Fallon; Patrick R. Foley, 44, of Belleville and Kevin T. Hoerner, 56, of Belleville.
They were among 30 local lawyers who applied for three associate judge positions that became open after November's general election.
Among the applicants were 23 Democrats, six Republicans and one lawyer without an established party preference, according to voting records. Twenty one of the applicants were male; nine female.
All three of the new associate judges, who were voted on by the elected circuit judges of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, are Democrats. They replace seats held by Judges Christopher Kolker, John O'Gara and Heinz Rudolf, Democrats, who were elected in November to full circuit seats with six year terms.
Associate judges are appointed to four-year terms.
Hoerner, a partner at the Becker, Hoerner, Thompson & Ysursa, made an unsuccessful bid for a seat at the Fifth District Appellate Court in November, losing to Justice David Overstreet.
Foley is a partner at Foley & Kelly in Belleville. Campbell works for the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation in East St. Louis.