Madison County Circuit Judge Christopher Threlkeld and attorney Barry Julian filed nominating petitions on Monday for a judicial vacancy that just one-third of county voters will decide in November.
The candidates seeking to fill the vacancy of Judge David Dugan - who was elevated to the federal bench. They will run in Subcircuit 1, which includes the western portion of the county, with the exception of a strip that cuts to the east and picks up northern portions of Edwardsville and the Fox Creek neighborhood.
Until this year's election, voters in the Third Judicial Circuit (Madison and Bond counties) decided judicial races either county-wide or circuit-wide. But a controversial law sponsored by Chicago Democrats - passed and enacted in January without public hearing - divided Madison County into three subcircuits and Bond County into a single subcircuit.
Julian lives in the gerrymandered section of Subcircuit 1
Supporters of the legislation included area lawmakers Reps. Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville), Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) and Sen. Rachelle Crowe (D-Maryville). Sponsors said the legislation was needed to bring more diversity to the bench.
Opponents, including Madison County GOP officials and the party's head - Ray Wesley - have argued that the legislation was rammed through the General Assembly because Democrats can no longer win judicial races in Madison County, as voting trends have become increasingly conservative in the past decade.
Wesley said local Democrats have "turned to their allies in Springfield and Chicago to change the rules."
"They've divided up the county into three gerrymandered subcircuits, and the first three judicial openings, which coincidentally happen to be this year, are all assigned to the first subcircuit," Wesley said in a statement.
He called Subcircuit 1 "a badly gerrymandered district" that runs from Alton down to Venice, but takes a sharp turn to include neighborhoods of two "pre-selected" candidates - Julian and Associate Judge Ryan Jumper (running for the "Mudge" vacancy).
"They're not fooling anyone with these tactics, and they're denying two-thirds of the county a right to vote on their judges," Wesley said.
The candidates
Threlkeld, Republican from Wood River, currently serves by appointment of the Illinois Supreme Court to the Dugan vacancy. He announced last year that he would seek election to the vacancy, but after the subcircuit law passed in January, he had to move from his home in Edwardsville to Wood River within Subcircuit 1 to be eligible to run. His former address in Edwardsville was drawn out of Subcircuit 1.
“The encouragement I received during the petition signing period was tremendous," Threlkeld said in a statement. "Every voter I spoke with was incredibly supportive of me and my campaign, regardless of their political affiliation, as we are united by our disappointment about the recent legislation breaking the tradition of county-wide voting for all circuit judges.
"I look forward to continuing my commitment to remain impartial, fair and to rule according to the law, as I continue to serve all the voters of Madison County in the courtroom. I am confident my qualifications and record of service as a circuit judge to date make me the ideal candidate for all voters in this race. I remain hopeful that I will be elected to continue to serve on November 8th.”
Julian, Democrat living in the Fox Creek neighborhood, co-founded the Edwardsville-based asbestos firm Gori Julian which grew to be the nation's number one filer of asbestos lawsuits. The firm (now Gori Law) files lawsuits across the country, but its base remains in Madison County - the nation's number one asbestos court by volume.
Julian also had a brief stint as Madison County associate judge from 2019-2020, when he un-retired from Naples, Fla.
His residency came into question after his appointment was announced on Jan. 25, 2019.
In December 2014, Julian un-registered as a Madison County voter; in October 2014, he registered as a Democrat voter in Naples.
Julian re-registered to vote as a resident of Edwardsville in a process that was completed on the day his (Jan. 25, 2019) appointment was announced.
He was picked as associate judge by a Democrat majority vote of elected circuit judges over 11 other local applicants to fill the unexpired term of Associate Judge Sarah Smith, who won election to a circuit court seat in November 2018.
In November 2020, Julian announced that he would retire the following month, before the end of his appointment term.
“He just thought it was time after some reflection with his wife,” Chief Judge Bill Mudge said at the time.
Wesley was critical of Julian for not finishing his associate judge term.
He also said voters are tired of the tactics of "Chicago Democrats" and their "local allies," in politicizing the Madison County judiciary.
The subcircuit district "was very clearly designed to include Mr. Julian's neighborhood," Wesley said.
"He's decided to once again come out of retirement, in his 70s, and run for a six-year term, in an attempt to keep our local courts in Democrat control. I think the voters in Madison County are tired of these types of tactics to stack the deck against them, and I believe they will vote accordingly in November as they protect the sanctity of our judicial system."