Kahalah Clay is stepping down as St. Clair County circuit clerk. Here’s what we know

After more than a decade as St. Clair County circuit clerk, Kahalah A. Clay is stepping down. Her last day on the job is Nov. 30.

Clay, 43, said now is a good time to move on and look toward her future. She did not reveal additional details about her plans.

Clay said in an interview with the BND that it has been a privilege to serve the citizens of St.Clair County.

“Everyday I tried to give 110 percent to my staff and the people of St.Clair County every ... single day,” she said. “I will forever be grateful to the wonderful citizens of St. Clair County for believing in me and allowing me to serve as their circuit clerk for the last 10 years. It has been truly one of the greatest honors of my life.”

Clay said the past 10 years have been a blessing, and she looks forward to the future.

“I am thankful to my wonderful staff of dedicated, hard-working deputy clerks that have served with me for over a decade. We have accomplished and overcome a great deal together.’’

Clay was appointed to the office in 2011 and won election to her first full term in November 2012. She has served in her role ever since, winning re-election in 2016 and 2020.

The clerk’s role is to be the court administrator and maintain official court records in St. Clair County.

The official website of the clerk’s office lists some of her accomplishments.

``During her Administration, Kahalah has been at the forefront of initiatives like permissive E-filing for attorneys prior to the mandate, on-line pleas through E-Guilty, paperless dockets in Traffic and Misdemeanor Courts, a Centralized Scanning Unit, and Automatic Disposition Reporting with the Secretary of State’s Office,” it states. ``Kahalah served on the Executive Board of the Illinois Association of Court Clerks and became the first African American President in Association history. Kahalah has been appointed to several committees by the Illinois Supreme Court, including the Access to Justice Committee and the Commission on Pretrial Practices.”

Clay earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois Urbana -Champaign and her doctor of jurisprudence degree from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

She previously served as a lawyer in private practice, a full-time public defender and an assistant state’s attorney with the St. Clair County State’s Attorney’s Office.

“Criminal defense has always been a passion. My desire to help people motivated me to seek a law degree,” she said

Asked about the challenges of pursuing her law degree and other challenges, she said: ``Yes, it’s hard but you have to maintain your focus, be determined and always in pursuit of your dreams. Nothing worth something is ever easy.”

Clay’s message to young people that she hopes they listen to is: “You can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it. And, you can do all things through Christ.”

Clay was born and raised in East St.Louis and proudly boasts she is a graduate of Lincoln High School. She is the daughter of the late East St. Louis Fire Chief Bruce Hill Jr. and Reola Hill.

Clay and Associate Circuit Judge William Clay IV have three children.

This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 10:51 AM.