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* UPDATED x1 * Illinois Supreme Court unanimously chooses Kilbride replacement, who was first elected as a Democrat

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* Jim Nowlan said he hoped that denying Justice Kilbride’s retention would leave the Illinois Supreme Court deadlocked in partisan rancor over his replacement and then all sorts of magical things would happen.

Um, no. From the Illinois Supreme Court…

Justice Robert L. Carter of the 3rd District Appellate Court has been selected to join the Illinois Supreme Court next month, pending the Illinois State Board of Elections proclaiming the results of the November 3 election.

The appointment of Justice Carter is effective December 8, 2020, and terminates December 5, 2022, when the seat will be filled by the November 2022 General Election. The Supreme Court has constitutional authority to fill all judicial vacancies.

“Justice Carter’s appointment came via a unanimous 6-0 vote,” Chief Justice Anne M. Burke said.

Justice Thomas L. Kilbride, whose vacancy Carter is scheduled to fill, did not participate in the vote.

“I am humbled by the confidence and trust the Court has placed in me as it is the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve on the Illinois Supreme Court,” Justice Carter said. “It is a place where I first started my career as a law clerk to Justice Howard Ryan and it is where I will retire after this two-year appointment as I won’t seek to run for this seat in 2022.”

Justice Carter, 74, of Ottawa, has been a judge since 1979 and was assigned to the 3rd District Appellate Court on September 1, 2006. He was elected Circuit Judge in 1988 and became Chief Judge in 1993. In December 2002, Justice Carter was elected Chair of the Conference of Chief Judges and re-elected in 2003 and 2005. He holds A.B. (1968) and J.D. (1974) degrees from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and a Master of Arts (1974) in Administration from Sangamon State University. He completed a one-week course in mediation at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, in the summer of 2001.

In 1969-70, Justice Carter served in the United States Army in Vietnam and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. He was a law clerk to Justice Howard C. Ryan of the Illinois Supreme Court in 1974-1975 and engaged in the general private practice of law from 1975-1979.

Since 1980, Justice Carter has been a frequent lecturer at judicial education programs for Illinois judges on such topic areas as jury trials, evidence, contempt, and domestic relations. In 2005, he taught and chaired a seminar on Judicial Administration and Management. In 1998, Justice

Justice Carter is hugely respected in judicial circles. And a spokesman for the Supreme Court says he was first elected as a Democrat.

*** UPDATE *** From the ILGOP’s Joe Hackler…

We look forward to an independent and reform-minded Republican winning the open contest in 2022 for the 3rd Judicial District against whatever Madigan-Kilbride pawn Democrats select to run for the seat.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:21 pm

Comments

Griffin spent millions to take down a good man only to have him replaced by another good man - both Democrats, both with union ties. Not sure why it was worth it.

Comment by Jokes on you Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:26 pm
Well, Jokes on you, it will be an open contest in 2022. That is why. Not that hard to understand.

Comment by Hahaha Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:32 pm
=== Well, Jokes on you, it will be an open contest in 2022. That is why. Not that hard to understand.===

What map will they run?

Ha. Ha. Ha.

You can now move the goal posts again, lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:33 pm
To the post,

The move by the court, first having, beyond reproach, a respected legal mind, taking away the politicizing of their branch… “that’s how you do it downtown”

I’ll be more than interested to this race, not because of Griffin or Pritzker, or Madigan… even the name Burke… what’s going to be interesting is it’s during the gubernatorial race.

There’s gonna be a gubernatorial race, an ILSC race… during Biden’s midterm.

The partisan rancor by this appointed is partisan rancor delayed… thankfully

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:38 pm
Hey, a bunch of GOP consultants made beaucoup bank is all that really matters.

Imagine they forgot to mention to Griff that Kilbride might just be replaced by someone like him and then third judicial district would be remapped.

Comment by Moe Berg Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:42 pm
@Moe: They don’t remap supreme court seats, but maybe you knew that?

Comment by Socially DIstant Watcher Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:47 pm
===They don’t remap supreme court seats===

Correction. They haven’t remapped Supreme Court seats. They can, though.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:49 pm
Very impressive resume. Glad it was unanimous. Wish him well. What a tremendous way to end a career

Comment by DuPage Saint Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:50 pm
@socially distant watcher, they don’t, but they can…. And the difference between numbers in the 2nd and third is shy of a million people, so although judicial districts do not have to apply one man, one vote principles, they could use them to justify a remap. Just sayin’

Comment by depressed in politics Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:52 pm
=== What map will they run?===

…

=== They can, though.===

Today’s move and appointment changes some of the Algebra.

Wouldn’t it be ironic… after all that dough, all that anger abd angst, all that “you’ll see” and op-eds, and cheering…

It could very well be premature adulation of political prowess…?

=== They can, though.===

We’ll see.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:53 pm
They actually DID remap it once but they messed it up. They won’t make that mistake again. But yeah, it’ll be remapped. Might even be 6-1 democrat, who knows?

Comment by Is it 2021 yet Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 12:53 pm
There will actually be two Illinois Supreme Court seats up in 2022. Thomas retired from the Second District seat in February and Michael Burke, an appellate judge from DuPage, was given the interim appointment.

Look for the Dems to push hard to take that seat.

Comment by Not So Innocent Bystander Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 1:00 pm
They’re going to have to remap the Supreme Court after all of those counties succeed from Illinois, of course it will probably be an all elected as Democrat court after that.

/snark, but LOL if it happens?

Comment by Candy Dogood Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 1:03 pm
=== and then all sorts of magical things would happen ===

I’m fairly certain this is the keystone of the republican party these days.

Comment by TheInvisibleMan Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 1:07 pm
@Socially Distant

Um, the legislature does draw the map for legislative districts.

The Second district has become so populous (every collar county but Will) in the last 30 years, a redisticting has been long overdue.

The Constitution calls for four districts outside cook county of substantially equal population that are compact and contiguous.

The population of each judicial district outside of cook ought to be about 1.9 million.

DuPage, Will and Kane is basically 1 judicial district.

Throw Lake, McHenry Boone and Winnebago together and you almost have another district.

Split the rest of the state pretty much down State route 51 from North to South and you are done.

Dear Ken -

LOLOL

- The Consultants

Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 1:09 pm
@Is It 2021 yet -

5-2 court.

2 pro-union downstate seats.

2 Democratic leaning suburban seats

3 Cook County seats.

Comment by Thomas Paine Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 1:25 pm
Excellent. Dems in the state legislature should take the time between now and 2022 to amend the law so that justices run for retention statewide. They make law for the entire state, so every voter should have a say in their retention.

Comment by Quibbler Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 1:30 pm
==They can, though.==

And they should. I don’t think they can touch the three in Cook County as those are in the Constitution, but the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th violate the Constitutional standard of dividing them into substantially equal populations. They aren’t even close now, especially the 5th

Comment by Joe Bidenopolous Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 1:41 pm
Since the court districts haven’t been reapportioned in some time, they ought to be redrawn to take account of shifting population.

Comment by anon2 Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 1:50 pm
When will retiring Justce Karmeier’s seat be filled?

Comment by Ares Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 2:36 pm
Looking forward to seeing a judicial ruling on a bill that would limit the amount of state funding to each county to equal its property tax receipts. You know, since all of that tax money is being sent to Chicago…

Let’s see if the Eastern Blockheads can explain to their peeps how much money that will cost them. Then they can all secede to Kentucky, Indiana, and Missouri. The new southern state border will be about 20 miles south of I-72.

Comment by Mr. Smith Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 4:01 pm
I’m no expert ISC watcher, but it seems to me the court has not been a highly partisan institution in recent years. For example, most of their pension related decisions have been unanimous or 6-1 and the old tort reform battles don’t seem to rage there anymore. And now they’ve agreed on a bipartisan basis to fill the vacancy.

Griffin, Nowlan, and co. think the Supreme Court in Illinois is as ideologically driven as the one in DC. They just spent a lot of money to find out they’re wrong.

Comment by Roman Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 4:06 pm
==reform-minded==

It’s not their job to be reform minded. Perhaps he doesn’t understand the role of a Supreme Court justice.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 4:41 pm
=== We look forward to an independent and reform-minded Republican winning the open contest in 2022 for the 3rd Judicial District against whatever Madigan-Kilbride pawn Democrats select to run for the seat.===

New batteries for the word jumble.

That’s fun.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 4:42 pm
I’m a watcher of all things 4th Amendment in the Third Appellate District and I would like to congratulate Justice Carter on a job well done. He has been a fair and consistent voice over the years.

I wish him well in the next two years and wish we were not losing such a good justice in the Third. He may have been first elected a democrat but he helped keep a lid on some judicially active riff raff that we seem to be stuck with.

Comment by Occasionally Moderated Tuesday, Nov 10, 20 @ 4:48 pm