Madison County Circuit Judge Dave Dugan will be nominated to serve as a federal judge at the Southern District of Illinois.
The White House announcement came the morning after President Trump's State of the Union speech, which devoted some attention to his success in filling judicial vacancies.
“Working with Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and his colleagues in the Senate, we have confirmed a record number of 187 federal judges to uphold our Constitution as written,” Trump stated.
In December, the White House also announced that St. Clair County Circuit Judge Stephen McGlynn would be nominated by the President.
Their nominations, which will fill vacancies created by the retirements of District Judges David Herndon and Michael Reagan, are expected to go to the U.S. Senate this week, with confirmation hearings to follow.
Dugan was elected to a six-year term in November 2018, for the seat that had been held by now Fifth District Appellate Court Judge John Barberis.
He had been appointed to Barberis’ circuit judge seat in March 2017 by the Illinois Supreme Court, upon the recommendation of Chief Justice Lloyd Karmeier.
Prior to his time on the bench, Dugan worked in private practice since 1986, mostly in civil litigation. He also served as a part-time assistant state’s attorney.
Dugan received a degree in political science in 1982 from Eastern Illinois University. He earned his law degree from Valparaiso University School of Law in 1985.