Chief Judge William Mudge announced Friday that the circuit judges of the Third Judicial Circuit selected Angela P. Donohoo and Ronald S. Motil to fill two associate judge vacancies.
“Angela Donohoo and Ron Motil bring a great deal of experience and professionalism to our bench,” Mudge stated in a press release. “They are great additions to the Third Judicial Circuit, and join an outstanding group of men and women who impartially and fairly administer justice for the people of Madison and Bond Counties. My colleagues and I look forward to working with both of them.”
Associate judges are picked by the circuit's elected judges. In the Third Judicial Circuit where there are nine elected circuit judge seats, applicants must receive at least five votes, otherwise balloting goes to a subsequent round. Currently there are only eight seated circuit judges due to the retirement of circuit judge Richard Tognarelli earlier this month.
Donohoo and Motil, both Democrats, were voted through in a first round of balloting. They were selected from a list of 19 applicants, which included five Republicans.
When Donohoo and Motil are seated, the entire 13-member associate bench will consist of Democrat judges.
The political balance among the current seated circuit judges is 5-3 Democrat to Republican. When Tognarelli's seat is filled, the balance will likely shift 5-4 when Republican Illinois Supreme Court Justice David Overstreet recommends the appointment for the full court to make.
Based on recent general elections, the Third Judicial Circuit’s voters have shifted more decidely Republican. Last November, Republicans swept nearly all county-wide offices, including the election of Republican circuit judges Amy Maher and Stephen Stobbs.
Stobbs had served on the associate bench since 2006, the sole Republican associate judge.
Donohoo, of Bethalto, currently practices family law at Levo Donohoo in Troy. She received her law degree at University of Tulsa College of Law and has been practicing for nearly 18 years.
Donohoo is a former president of the Madison County Bar Association with experience in family, probate and estate planning law.
She is also a board member of Hope Rescues and is a former president of the board of the Metro East Humane Society.
Motil, of Maryville, has been practicing law for nearly 38 years. He currently works as an attorney with the Gori firm. The Gori Law Firm is one of the top filers of asbestos lawsuits in the country.
Prior to his law career, Motil briefly worked as a steelworker at Granite City Steel. He earned his JD from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1983. He has experience in civil, workers’ compensation and municipal law.
Motil is a former president of the Madison County Bar Association and the Tri-City Bar Association. He also is a former member of the Marquette Catholic High School Board.
He serves on the oversight committee with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, and is the city or village attorney for Pontoon Beach, Maryville and Madison.
The vacancies being filled by Donohoo and Motil were created by the election of Stobbs as a circuit judge and the resignation of former associate judge Barry Julian. Prior to his time on the bench, Julian was one of the founding partners of Gori Julian & Associates PC, which is presently known as The Gori Law Firm.
The Third Judicial Circuit includes Madison and Bond counties.