Retired St. Clair County judge reappointed to Illinois Appellate Court
Retired St. Clair County Judge Milton S. Wharton has been reappointed to the Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court.
Wharton is filling the vacancy left by David K. Overstreet, who was elected to a seat on the Illinois Supreme Court on Nov. 3. Overstreet administered the oath of office to Wharton Monday morning.
“Serving with Justice Wharton over the past year on the appellate, I have witnessed firsthand his wisdom, temperament, and diligence to the law,” Overstreet said. “His experience and accomplishments throughout his remarkable career speak for themselves and I am very pleased that he has agreed to continue his service to the Fifth District.”
Wharton’s term will end Dec. 5, 2022, when the seat will be filled by the winner of the general election in November of that year.
Wharton was originally assigned to the Fifth District Appellate Court on Nov. 2, 2019, when Judge Melissa Chapman retired.
He had previously served 35 years on the bench for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, first as an associate judge from 1976 to 1988, then as circuit judge until he retired in 2012.
Wharton earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and his juris doctorate from the DePaul University School of Law in 1974.
He is a member of the SIUE Hall of Fame and former Alumnus of the Year, according to a release issued by the state Supreme Court.
Wharton has served on numerous committees involving the local and state bar associations and previously served as president of the St. Clair County Bar Association. He is also former first vice president of the East St. Louis Chapter of the NAACP, past board member of the East St. Louis chapter of Habitat for Humanity, past co-chair of the crime study committee of the East-West Gateway Coordinating Council and recipient of a special recognition for Access to Justice from the Illinois State Bar Association.
The Fifth Judicial District is composed of 37 counties in the southern most part of Illinois.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 2:52 PM.
