Voters in Madison and Bond counties have the opportunity to make the Third Judicial Circuit more diverse this election, according to former chair of Madison County's GOP, Jeremy Plank.
"Many folks have been working for years for diversity and transparency in the judicial selection process," said Plank, who served as the party's chair from 2017-2019.
"Elected circuit judges vote to appoint associate judges, so a vote to elect circuit judges on November 3 has an impact on multiple levels."
Two circuit court seats are in contention - vacancies left by the retirements of Andreas Matoesian, who served as judge for more than 50 years in Madison County and Dave Hylla, who served there for 13 years. Both judges, Democrats, retired last year before the end of their terms.
Associate Judge Stephen Stobbs, Republican, who's served by appointment in the circuit since 2006, faces Glen Carbon attorney Leslie Ann Wood, Democrat, for the Matoesian vacancy - an at-large seat where voters in Madison and Bond counties decide the outcome.
For the Hylla vacancy, Republican Amy Maher, a former Madison County assistant state's attorney and current director of operations for the Catholic Charities Legal Services, faces Democrat Tom Gibbons, who's served as Madison County State's Attorney since 2010 (first elected in 2012). Voters in Madison County only will decide the resident circuit judge outcome.
As for diversity of thought on the Third Judicial Circuit, just two of 20 associate and circuit judges - until Circuit Judge David Dugan's elevation to the federal bench last week - were Republican. Stobbs is currently the only sitting Republican on the circuit in a district that has moved decidely more conservative since 2014.
In 2016, Trump beat Clinton 54-39. In 2018, an unpopular Rauner beat Pritzker 47-45.
As for gender demographics in the Third Judicial Circuit, two of seven elected circuit judges - 29 percent - are female: circuit judges Sarah Smith and Kyle Napp, both Democrats.
There are three female associate judges in the circuit - Veronica Armouti, Janet Heflin and Maureen D. Schuette, all Democrats. They represent 23 percent of the associate bench.
In total, of the current 19 judges in the Third Judicial Circuit, five are female, which comprises 26 percent of the total bench. Most recent demographic data for Madison County shows that females outnumber males, 50.8 - 49.2.
There are two African American associate judges in the Third Judicial Circuit - Armouti and Ryan Jumper - which comprises 10 percent of total judges. The Aftrican American population in Madison County is 8.3 percent, compared to 85 percent White, according to demographic data.