Madison County Circuit Judge candidates Ebony Huddleston and Barry Julian on Tuesday announced their intent to run as Democratic write-in candidates for the June 28 primary election.
“Access to the ballot should not be taken lightly. The voters should have the right to determine who they want on the ballot. By filing my intent to run as a write-in candidate, I’m ensuring that the voters have an opportunity to have their voices heard,” Huddleston stated in a press release.
As write-in candidates, they would need to each receive more than 334 write-in votes during the primary election in order to appear on the general election ballot.
Julian said he expects the write-in process to be easier, because he only needs 334 write-in votes "as opposed to all the work it took to get more than 334 signatures" while circulating petitions. He added that he ended up with approximately 900 signatures on his petitions, which were rejected by a three-member county electoral board.
"I've been in this area for over 60 years," Julian said. "I could get my high school yearbook and pick out 334 people. If I could find them, they'd probably vote for me," he said.
Huddleston said that while nothing is guaranteed, the write-in process is "something that we can overcome." She said she had more than 1,000 petition signatures, which also were rejected by the county electoral board.
Huddleston and Julian were removed from the ballot over errors on their nominating petitions, which indicated that signatures were gathered on a start date of Jan. 13. However, the Judicial Circuits Redistricting Act of 2022 signed into law by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Jan. 7 established that petitions could not be circulated earlier than 15 days after enactment - or Jan. 22.
Republican Madison County Board member Eric Foster, of Granite City, objected to the petitions, which was upheld by the electoral board on April 6.
Huddleston filed a petition for judicial review in response to the electoral board’s decision. However, during Tuesday’s press conference, she said she will not move forward with that petition and will instead focus on her write-in campaign.
By state statute, electoral board members include the county clerk (chair), state's attorney and circuit clerk. If replacements are necessary the next county officers in line are treasurer, then sheriff.
County Clerk Debra Ming-Mendoza, a Democrat, recused herself from the vote because she had circulated (later rejected) petitions for Julian.
That left State’s Attorney Tom Haine, Circuit Clerk Tom McRae, and, by statute, the county's Treasurer, Chris Slusser, who replaced Ming-Mendoza as chair. All three board members are Republicans. Slusser was elected in 2018, and Haine and McRae were elected in 2020 when voters expressed a strong interest in county Republican leadership.
Before the last general election, Democrats held majority control of Madison County government for decades. And Democrats still hold the majority on the circuit court, where Huddleston and Julian seek election.
Further, it was the Democrat super-majority in Springfield that rammed through the Judicial Circuits Redistricting Act of 2022, which altered the dates in which Madison County judicial candidates could lawfully circulate nominating petitions.
Huddleston and Julian issued a joint press release, calling the county electoral board’s decision a "partisan-power grab."
“Voters do not like being disregarded and ignored by a small totally partisan group of politicians who wield power for political gain, rather than for the good of all voters,” Huddleston stated.
“They hold a majority on the county board, in countywide offices, and hold the county executive office. They think they know better than the voters, and can run roughshod over decisions, opposition and laws they don’t like. We need to bring some integrity back to Madison County,” Julian added.
The controversial Redistricting Act that eliminated county-wide judicial elections is being appealed by Haine, who has called it “unjust, unconstitutional, and riddled with problems.”
Julian, however, maintains that the rejection of their petitions was a "miscarriage of justice" through a "rigged" process.
“All of our petitions were circulated in the proper timeframe," he stated. "It is only because of a rigged process that we will be running as write-in candidates. Confusion over the dates was caused by Haine’s frivolous lawsuit opposing the legislation, and his refusal to recuse himself from the board’s vote, despite having taken a strong position against the subcircuits. He then sat on the very board that tossed the candidates off the ballot, despite that blatant conflict of interest.”
The Redistricting Act affects 16 Illinois counties, but Madison County is the only one that had county-wide judicial elections removed immediately, for the 2022 general election. The remainder of the affected circuits are not required to implement the changes until 2024. Additionally, all of the other courts will vote for each judicial vacancy sequentially in subcircuits.
Madison County, however, was the only Illinois county required to vote for its eight circuit judgeships in an odd pattern: the first three vacancies would occur in the western portion of the county, Subcircuit 1 (considered to be the densest population of Democrats in the county); the next three vacancies in the central portion of the county, Subcircuit 2; and the last two vacancies in the eastern portion of the county, Subcircuit 3.
Voters in Subcircuits 2 and 3 will not get to vote for any of the judicial vacancies during this election, in spite of the fact that judges preside over all county citizens.
Julian called the rejection of his and Huddleston's nominating petitions an attempt by the Republicans to “subvert the will of the voters.”
“These subcircuits were created by the state legislature to increase representation in the circuit and give all voters in the county a voice in selecting judges regardless of geography. We believe the voters deserve a clear choice in this election. And yet, this small group of Republicans have refused to give people here a choice,” Julian stated in the press release.
When asked about the subcircuit law during the press conference, Julian said he can’t change it because he didn’t cause it and all criticism should be directed to the state legislature.
“I didn’t set it up. I didn’t make the decision, the legislature did,” he said.
Julian, who was formerly a Madison County associate judge, added that the Madison County judges were unaware of the Redistricting Act. He said he found out about it when one of the Republican judicial candidates told him.
“Am I thrilled about it? I don’t know. I’m not certain I understand all of the repercussions of it down the road,” he said.
He said that asking how he feels about it is like asking how he feels about the weather.
“I can’t change it,” he said.
Huddleston said that as she understands it, the subcircuits were established in order to ensure that Madison County citizens could have resident circuit judges on the bench.
“We just have to take the facts and the law as they are and apply them to the situation,” Huddleston said.
Huddleston, of Alton, is running against Republican Circuit Judge Amy Sholar for the vacancy created by former judge Richard Tognarelli’s retirement.
During the press conference, she said she decided to run for circuit judge because she has been an attorney for a long time and has had her eye on being a judge since she was young.
“This is just a natural progression for me,” she said.
Huddleston received her B.A. in English, Accounting, and Spanish from Xavier University of Louisiana. She earned her J.D. from Ohio Northern University. Following graduation, she worked at Farrell Hamilton & Julian PC until she started The Law Office of Ebony R. Huddleston PC in 2018.
Huddleston also taught in the paralegal program at Lewis & Clark Community College in Godfrey. She is a member of the American Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association. She sits on the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section Council, Standing Committee on Racial & Ethnic Minorities in the Law, Standing Committee on the Rural Practice Initiative and Steering Committee for Racial Inequality of the Illinois State Bar Association.
She previously served on the board of directors for the Alton YWCA and Boys & Girls Club, United Way Allocations Committee, Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club, Madison County Bar Association, and Alton-Wood River Bar Association. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Clayton and Virginia Williams Foundation Justice Advocacy Group, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, Alton Memorial Hospital and Vice President of IMPACT CIL (Center for Independent Living) in Alton.
Julian is running against Circuit Judge Christopher Threlkeld for the vacancy left by Judge David Dugan’s appointment to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.
Julian previously served as a Madison County Associate Judge, filling the vacancy when Sarah Smith was elected circuit judge.
“Every vice president wants to be president, and every assistant principal wants to be principal. Deep down inside, every associate judge wants to be circuit judge,” he said during the press conference.
Julian graduated from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 1972 with a degree in biology. After earning his D.M.D. degree from Washington University School of Dental Medicine in 1972, he completed a successful career as a dentist. He then earned his J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law in 1995.
Julian has served on numerous claimants’ steering committees including AC&S, Flintkote, GAF, Specialty Holdings Company and United Gasoline Laboratories bankruptcies.
He is also a life member of Million Dollar Advocates Forum.