St. Clair County seeks replacement for judge it paid $600K while on administrative duty
Chief Judge Andrew Gleeson says he’ll be relieved to have the 20th District Court back to full strength once Illinois Supreme Court Justice Lloyd Karmeier makes an appointment to fill the vacancy on the bench.
That spot officially became open Jan. 10 when the Illinois Courts Commission removed St. Clair County Ron Duebbert’s judgeship for ethics violations. But Gleeson’s court has been a judge short since January 2017, when he limited Duebbert to administrative duties as the ethics investigation against him ran its due process.
Duebbert collected more than $606,000 in salary doing legal research and, in the last year, performing civil marriage ceremonies. At the time he was stripped of his judgeship, Duebbert hadn’t tried a case in three years.
Karmeier, of Nashville, is the Supreme Court justice who oversees the Fifth Judicial District, which encompasses the 20th Judicial Circuit Court. On Jan. 17, he announced his office is accepting applications for Duebbert’s replacement.
Attempts to reach Karmeier for comment were unsuccessful. In a release, however, his office said that to qualify for the office of circuit judge, applicants must be a resident of the 20th Judicial Circuit Court, be admitted to practice law in Illinois and be in good standing with the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission or any other respective disciplinary body.
The appointee will be expected to serve the remainder of Duebbert’s six-year term, which ends in 2022.
Duebbert, a Republican, was elected to the 20th Judicial Court on Nov. 8, 2016, defeating Democratic incumbent John Baricevic. But Gleeson limited Duebbert to administrative duties in January 2017 after learning of his connections to David E. Fields, a suspect in the murder investigation of Carl Z. Silas. Fields was later acquitted of the charges.
On April 19, 2018, the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board filed a complaint with the Courts Commission accusing Duebbert of lying to its members and to police about his contact with Fields, a friend and former roommate, during the investigation.
He was subsequently removed from the bench earlier this month.
In its decision to remove him from office, the Illinois Courts Commission — which is composed of one Illinois Supreme Court judge, two appellate court judges, two circuit judges and two members of the public — said Duebbert “demonstrated an utter disregard for the integrity and respect of the judiciary.”
Despite not hearing a case since January 2017, Duebbert continued to receive an annual salary, which was $204,000 in 2019, according to the Illinois Comptroller’s Office.
In a release, Karmeier invited those who qualify to submit their applications and cover letters to his office at: Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier, P.O. Box 226, Nashville, IL 62263, or electronically to Judicial Secretary Carol Heggemeier at cheggmeier@illinoiscourts.gov.
Applications must be received in Karmeier’s office by Thursday, Feb. 13. The application can be found at the Illinois Supreme Court’s website or from Gleeson at: Chief Judge Andrew J. Gleeson, St. Clair County Courthouse, 10 Public Square, Belleville, IL 62220.
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 2:48 PM.
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