Barry Vaughan was sworn-in at the Fifth District Appellate Court in Mount Vernon on Monday to serve by appointment of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Vaughan, 58, of McLeansboro, is an elected circuit judge in Hamilton County, of the Second Judicial Circuit. His appointment to the Fifth District came at the recommendation of Supreme Court Justice David Overstreet to fill the seat that had been occupied by Judge Mark Boie, who was elected to a permanent seat on the court in November.
In his remarks, Vaughan described his love for reading about historical figures including Abraham Lincoln and Red Cross founder Clara Barton as a gateway for his interest in law.
“After reading about Abraham Lincoln, I knew, even in second grade that I wanted to be a lawyer,” he said after being sworn in by Overstreet.
“Abraham Lincoln once argued a case in this very courthouse in 1859. At that time this building was used as the southern courthouse for the Illinois Supreme Court. Lincoln won the case and when he submitted his bill to the railroad, they refused to pay stating that his bill was higher than Daniel Webster himself would have charged. Lincoln replied that Lincoln had won the case and Webster could not have done any more. In the end, the railroad paid Lincoln’s bill.
“In 1888, a tornado struck Mount Vernon, and this building was used as a hospital with Clara Barton helping care for the injured here.
“Although I always wanted to be a lawyer, I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be a judge and certainly never imagined I would be a judge on the appellate court in a building where Abraham Lincoln argued a case and Clara Barton cared for the injured.”
Vaughan was first elected circuit judge in Hamilton County on the Republican ticket in 2002 and was retained in 2008, 2014 and in November.
In other news, Overstreet announced a court vacancy for the seat of retiring Williamson County Circuit Judge Brad Bleyer.
The term of office for the at-large seat in the First Judicial Circuit will run through the first Monday in December following the November 2022 general election. Applicants must be a resident of the First Judicial Circuit at the time of appointment.
Bleyer, a Democrat, ran unsuccessfully in 2016 for a seat at the Fifth District. He was defeated by Republican John Barberis by a margin of 56 to 44 percent.
Overstreet also announced Boie’s vacancy in Union County, of the First Judicial Circuit.
To be eligible for appointment to this circuit court vacancy that will run through the first Monday in December following the November 2022 general election, the applicant must be a resident of Union County at the time of appointment.
Applications for both vacancies are due Jan. 19 and may be sent to René Gozia at rgozia@illinoiscourts.gov.