Four months after the retirements of Madison County Associate Judges Philip Alfeld and Thomas Chapman, outgoing Chief Judge Bill Mudge has announced notice of their vacancies.
Licensed attorneys in Madison and Bond counties - comprising the Third Judicial Circuit - have until Dec. 15 to submit application with the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts for the two openings.
Chapman, who retired July 21, had served close to 20 years as an associate judge and Alfeld, who retired July 5, served eight years.
Mudge, who's served as circuit judge since 2010, is retiring next month.
Selection of associate judges is made by a vote of the Third Circuit's nine elected circuit judges - a bench that was transformed in last week's election, against great odds, from Democrat stronghold to Republican majority.
Successors to the Alfeld and Chapman seats will be determined after newly elected circuit judges are seated the first week of December.
2022 General Election
The Nov. 8 judicial elections in the western portion of Madison County brought about the end of an era in the Third Judicial Circuit.
While final vote total results have not yet been certified, the unoffical tally from election night and the counting of mail-in ballots show the three Republican candidates - Circuit Judges Chris Threlkeld and Amy Sholar, and attorney Tim Berkley with clear wins over rivals Barry Julian, Ebony Huddleston and Associate Judge Ryan Jumper, respectively.
When the winners are sworn in on Dec. 5, the bench will hold a 5-4 Republican (Stobbs, Maher, Threlkeld, Sholar, Berkley) to Democrat (Ruth, Napp, Smith, Bauer) majority for the first time in at least seven decades, or ever, some local pundits believe.
Ramifications of the Republican sweep include re-shaping the 13-member associate judge bench.
Currently, there is just one Republican serving as associate judge - Andy Carruthers.
Associates stand for re-appointment every four years; May 2023 is the next re-appointment cycle. Even the two new associate judges succeeding Alfeld and Chapman will need to re-apply for their positions.