Supreme Court Justice David Overstreet announced Thursday that Amy E. Sholar will fill retired Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli’s vacancy in the Third Judicial Circuit.
Sholar’s appointment will take effect May 1 and will conclude Dec. 5, 2022, when the vacancy will be filled by the winner of the November 2022 general election. The Third Judicial Circuit includes both Madison and Bond Counties.
“I want to thank Justice Overstreet, the Illinois Supreme Court, and the screening committee for this appointment,” Sholar stated. “I am looking forward to serving the citizens of Madison County.”
Overstreet recommended Sholar’s appointment to the full court following a review of applicants by a nine-person screening committee, who provided him with four finalists. The committee members included retired judge James Hackett, attorney Benjamin Edwards of The Edwards Law Offices, attorney Jeff Hebrank of HeplerBroom, attorney Amanda Highlander of The Law Office of Jamie MItchell, attorney Thomas Lech of Goldenberg Heller & Antognoli, attorney Dawn Sallerson of Hinshaw & Culbertson, attorney Bill Walker of Law Offices of Bill T. Walker, attorney Mary Beth Williams and attorney Justin Zimmerman of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith.
“Amy Sholar brings a breadth of courtroom experience to the bench,” Overstreet stated in a press release. “Her work in recent years as a court-appointed guardian ad litem in cases involving children is especially noteworthy. She is a proven leader with a heart for serving the community, and she will be an outstanding addition to the judiciary.”
Sholar is a founding partner at Sholar Stephan Law, where she has worked since 2016. She primarily focuses on matters of domestic litigation. From 2004 to 2016, Sholar worked in private practice at The Law Office of Amy Sholar PC.
Prior to her time in private practice, Sholar served as Planning Coordinator for the City of Alton for three years and was an intern with the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Sholar was also appointed to the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees by former Gov. Bruce Rauner in April 2015. She resigned from that position in December 2020. During her term, she served as Chairperson of the Board from 2018 to 2019.
Sholar earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Illinois University and her Juris Doctor from Saint Louis University School of Law.
Sholar is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Madison County Bar Association and the Alton-Wood River Bar Association, where she has served as a past president and secretary.
Sholar ran for Madison County State’s Attorney in 2012. She ran on the Republican ticket against former State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons, who won the election.
Sholar also represented former county employee Stephen Adler in a case involving a series of 2018 raids at the Madison County administration building. The raids were carried out by the Madison County Public Corruption Task Force, which was put together by Gibbons after his office received evidence of possible illegal conduct in late 2017.
The Illinois Attorney General’s office took over prosecution due to a conflict of interest and concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support charges against any of the officials.