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St. Clair County judges seeking retention rake in $206K in third quarter

MADISON - ST. CLAIR RECORD

Thursday, November 21, 2024

St. Clair County judges seeking retention rake in $206K in third quarter

Elections
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Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson | Illinois Courts

Five of eight St. Clair County judges are on the ballot this election cycle.

They run in the 20th Judicial Circuit, which now involves only St. Clair County, a reliably Democratic base. In 2020, Biden won 53% of the vote to Trump's 45%.

The 20th judicial circuit formerly included Republican counties of Monroe, Perry, Randolph and Washington until the Illinois General Assembly in 2021 passed a law that split those conservative counties into the 24th Judicial Circuit.

In his bid for a third six-year term, Chief Circuit Judge Andrew Gleeson has raised $89,000 in the third quarter.

Judges seeking retention face no opposition on the ballot, and do not run as partisans. Voters are asked "yes" or "no" on whether to retain. To be retained, a judge must earn at least 60% voter approval.

Gleeson is among the five circuit judges asking St. Clair County voters for another term. He was first elected in 2012, running on the Democratic ticket. 

The vast majority of contributions made to Gleeson's campaign committee came from lawyers or law firms that practice in St. Clair County circuit court. 

Of the 30 itemized contributions made to Gleeson between July and September, 10 of them accounted for 81% of the total haul.

Rich Rich & Cooksey, which specializes in injured worker and auto crash cases, contributed $12,000.

Asbestos law firms Gori and SimmonsHanly each contributed $10,000. St. Clair County has the second largest asbestos docket in the country, second to neighboring Madison County.

Personal injury attorney Christopher Cueto also contributed $10,000. 

The following personal injury firms each contributed $5,000 to Gleeson:  Keefe, Keefe and Unsell, Korein Tillery, Nelson & Nelson, Driscoll Law Simon Law and Weilmuenster Keck. 

Circuit Judge Zina Cruse, also first elected in 2012 as a Democrat, received $7,500 in the third quarter. Her largest single contribution - $5,000 - came from Korein Tillery. 

Circuit Judges Heinz Rudolf, John O'Gara and Chris Kolker, first elected in 2016 as Democrats, are seeking second six-year terms. 

Rudolf raised $79,250 in the third quarter through 43 itemized contributions.

Nine of the contributions represented 66% of that total, or $52,000. Major contributions primarily came from personal injury firms that practice in St. Clair County circuit court:

Rich Rich & Cooksey contributed $12,000. These personal injury firms contributed $5,000 each: Walton Telken, Gori Law, Driscoll Law, Cates Law, Nelson & Nelson, Leskera Law, Korein Tillery and Hipskind & McAninch. 

O'Gara raised $28,050 in the third quarter through 16 itemized contributions. 

Three of the contributions represented 46% of the total, or $13,000. O'Gara's biggest contributors were Korein Tillery and Keefe, Keefe and Unsell at $5,000 each. The Cook Bartholomew firm contributed $3,000.

Kolker raised $2,850 in the third quarter through six itemized contributions.

Attorney Lanny Darr contributed $1,000, and retired judge Vince Lopinot and wife Connie contributed $1,000 to Kolker. 

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