The Third Judicial Circuit's associate bench is down two judges with the recent retirements of Phil Alfeld and Thomas Chapman.
Chapman had served close to 20 years as an associate judge and Alfeld, eight years.
Traditionally, filling judicial vacancies begins with action taken by the circuit's chief judge, in this case Circuit Judge Bill Mudge. Interested parties would then apply for the positions, and the court's nine elected circuit judges would ultimately vote for two applicants in secret balloting.
A full associate bench in the Third Circuit (Madison and Bond counties) includes 13 judges. Associates stand for re-appointment every four years - 2023 is the next re-appointment cycle.
Mudge has not responded to a request for comment as to when he will post notices of vacancy.
The last time a vacancy opened on the associate bench - late last year - the 5-4 Democrat-leaning circuit bench picked a Republican to serve.
Politics are steeped in the tradition of selecting associate judges in Madison County. Republicans have rarely been appointed associates over the past two decades under Democrat super-majority control. The exceptions were Stephen Stobbs, now an elected circuit judge, and James Hackett, now retired.
But on a more evenly balanced court with diluted Democrat control, Republican Andrew Carruthers was selected associate judge last December to fill the vacancy of long-serving judge Clarence Harrison.
Shuffling the dockets
In two administrative orders filed in the past three weeks, Mudge has rearranged the dockets of several judges.
In Mudge's earlier order of June 24, he re-assigned Chapman to all of Alfeld's family cases, effective July 6.
Chapman's last day at work was July 6, according to a person who answered a call to his chambers that day.
In Mudge's June 24 order, he also assigned Associate Judge Martin Mengarelli to the Alton docket on Tuesdays.
He also assigned Associate Judge Ryan Jumper, who seeks election as circuit judge this November, to the Alton docket on Fridays.
Jumper is running for election in the newly created Subcircuit 1 that includes Alton and areas in the western portion of Madison County.
Carruthers was assigned to the tax cases that had been assigned to Jumper.
In a subsequent administrative order entered July 7, effective July 11, Mudge named Circuit Judge Dennis Ruth presiding judge of the court's civil division. Ruth also will take on the LM (law magistrate) and AR (arbitration) dockets as well as the major civil law cases already on his docket.
Ruth has re-assignment authority on civil cases based on the needs of the division, Mudge ordered.
Associate Judge Ron Foster was assigned dockets that had previously been assigned to Chapman: mental health, foeclosures, small claims and name changes. Foster also will continue to hear MR (miscellaneous remedy) cases as he had been, and will take on Bond County duties on Mondays.
Jumper was assigned to CH (chancery) cases that had been assigned to Chapman, "in addition to the dockets to which he was previously assigned."
Gerrymandering the judiciary
Until this year's election, voters in the Third Judicial Circuit 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.
Supporters of the legislation included area lawmakers Reps. Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville), Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) and now former 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 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" Democrat candidates - Jumper and Barry Julian.
Jumper, a Democrat, will face attorney Tim Berkley, Republican, in the November general election. They will vie for Mudge's seat, who is retiring in December.
Subcircuit 1 will see two other judicial contests in November.
Incumbent Circuit Judge Christopher Threlkeld, Republican, will face attorney Julian for the Dugan vacancy.
Julian and fellow Democrat Ebony Huddleston ran as write-in candidates in the June 28 primary because their nominating petitions were flawed, containing incorrect circulating dates.
A spokesperson for the Madison County Clerk's office said both Julian and Huddleston received enough valid write-in votes to have their names placed on the general election ballot, but that official numbers would not be released until the election is certified on July 19. They needed at least 334 write-in votes.
Huddleston will face incumbent Circuit Judge Amy Sholar, Republican, for the Threlkeld vacancy.