Republican
Ron Duebbert
Belleville
Age: 50
Single
Children: None
Job: Attorney
Phone: 618-593-4080
Web: ronduebbertforjudge.com
Facebook: ronduebbertforjudge
Twitter: ronduebberforjudge
E-mail: ronduebbertforjudge@gmail.com
Education: Bachelor's, SIUE; J.D., University of Illinois Law School
Previous offices: Served as assistant state's attorney in St. Clair County in the early 1990s.
Qualifications: More than 23 years of experience as a prosecutor, criminal and civil attorney. Owned my own business and know what it is like to meet a payroll. I bring real world experience to the bench. Throughout my career, I have worked to protect the rights of individuals and uphold the law of the land. As an assistant state's attorney, I worked to put away the local Brotherhood Gang members in the 1990s. As a private attorney, I have been successful at defending the property rights of individuals. The Illinois State Bar Association Judicial Advisory Poll recognized me as being fair, impartial, unbiased and that I work to appropriately reduce or eliminate conduct or words which manifest bias in the judicial system. As a judge, I will bring independence to the bench to ensure fairness and balance for all parties.
Top issues: One of the main reasons that I am running for judge is to bring balance and independence to the bench in the 20th Judicial Circuit Court. Currently, all of the judges, with the exception of one, have been appointed by the St. Clair County Democrat Party. I believe that a court should have fair representation for all viewpoints, so that it can serve impartially and independent of control from outside parties. In addition, our court system has become a magnet for medical malpractice suits, pharmaceutical class action lawsuits and asbestos lawsuits from across the country. This past year, more than 600 plaintiffs -- the vast majority from outside of Illinois -- have filed lawsuits in St. Clair County. The plaintiffs are from New York, California, Texas and even Alaska. The St. Clair County judicial system was ranked the fifth worst in the country by the nation's top watchdog group -- the American Tort Reform Foundation. The courts have been named as a national magnet for mesothelioma suits, due to the increase in asbestos lawsuits filed in the past several years. Our courts have lost their way. The court system should be impartial and independent and not a platform for frivolous litigation, that only serves to discourage businesses from locating here and doctors from practicing in our region. When I am elected, I will work to balance the bench and ensure the court system inspires the confidence of all citizens that there is justice in our courts for everyone.
