Madison County Board member Mike Walters, a Republican from Godfrey and chair of the county’s Judiciary Committee, reacted harshly to last week’s selection of two new associate judges, calling it “unacceptable” that Republicans were shut out of consideration.
On Friday, Madison County Chief Judge William Mudge announced that attorneys Angela Donohoo and Ron Motil, both Democrats, were picked to fill vacancies created by the election of Republican Stephen Stobbs to circuit judge and the retirement of Democrat Barry Julian.
Walters said that having no Republicans on the 13-member associate bench is an “outrage, and a slap in the face to the voters of this county” who in the November general election overwhelmingly chose Republicans to lead.
Madison County Republicans have for years been urging inclusion on the associate judge bench, arguing it would create balance and diversity of thought. They took particular exception to the selection process in 2015 when Republican applicants were excluded from an unusually high number of five vacancies.
“I find it extremely troubling that Republican applicants for Associate Judge have been passed over now 19 times in a row, with only two appointments in the past 25 years and none in the past 14 years,” Walters said. “If we are ever going to escape the grips of the ‘judicial hellhole’ label, the Circuit needs to wake up and make an effort to change its image. That starts with bipartisan representation among the appointed Associate Judges. Having zero Republicans out of 13 Associate Judges is unacceptable.”
Donohoo and Motil were picked in a first round of balloting by the Third Judicial Circuit’s elected circuit judges, whose partisan composition is 5-3 Democrat to Republican with one seat currently vacant. To be appointed, an applicant needs at least five votes.
“As both of the attorneys selected are Democrats, it’s pretty clear they voted together in shutting out the Republican applicants," Walters said.
Before November’s general election, Stobbs had been the only Republican associate judge, and the only one picked since 2006.
There were 19 applicants for the two recent vacancies - five of whom were considered Republican based on their voting records.
Walters said that Stobbs, Amy Maher (elected circuit judge), and all but one Republican countywide candidate won their races "by a landslide" in November.
“We also now have an 18-11 majority on the Madison County Board," he said.
"While the Madison County electorate spoke loudly in the most recent election cycle, their message has apparently fallen on deaf ears among the Circuit Judges. With these appointments, the Republican Party now has zero representation on the Associate bench.”
In response, Mudge said that Walters was making an assumption about circuit judges, regardless of their party affiliation, that was “not true.”
“No circuit judge, Republican or Democrat, voted for an applicant based solely upon his or her party affiliation,” Mudge said.
He also stated the following:
“State law provides that circuit judges fill associate judge vacancies. The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts administers the application process. Nowhere on the application does it ask an applicant to identify their party affiliation, nor should it.
“Rather, the application process appropriately focuses on any given applicant’s experience, legal ability, temperament, work ethic, including his or her professional and personal conduct. It is a competitive process that produced a list of 19 applicants with varied professional backgrounds for these vacancies.
“Judges of the Third Judicial Circuit deliver fair and impartial justice for the people of Bond and Madison Counties. While this county board member apparently desires something different, our judges uphold the constitution, fairly administer the law, and adhere to the strong values of the society in which we work and live.
“Angela Donohoo and Ron Motil enjoy excellent reputations within the legal community for their legal experience and ability, and they will administer justice fairly and independently, as all the judges do here, republican or democrat. We will continue to do our jobs honorably, ethically and independently and not be drawn into the political fray.”
Mudge added later that he had been told by several unsuccessful applicants - Republican and Democrat - who have reached out "to me and my colleagues commending the choices, both privately and publicly."