Two new associate judges elected to serve in 3rd Circuit for Madison and Bond counties

The 3rd Circuit judges in Madison and Bond counties have elected two new associate judges to replace judges who have retired, Chief Judge Stephen A. Stobbs announced Wednesday.

Emily Johnson Nielsen and Justin S. Zimmerman were elected to fill the vacancies by the retirements of Associate Judges Philip B. Alfeld and Thomas W. Chapman.

Associate judges are appointed by a majority vote of the circuit judges in each circuit as provided by Supreme Court rule, Stobbs said in a news release.

A swearing-in date for Nielsen and Zimmerman was not announced.

Stobbs described Nielsen and Zimmerman as “two accomplished attorneys.”

Nielsen, 42, is currently employed by Madison County State’s Attorney Thomas Haine as the chief of the civil division. She received her undergraduate degree in 2002 from Washington University in St. Louis and her law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2005.

Zimmerman, 36, is currently with the firm of Lewis Brisbois Bisgard & Smith. He received his undergraduate degree in 2009 from Maryville University in St. Louis and his law degree from University of Illinois in 2012.