Recently appointed Madison County judge declines to draw state pension, campaign says
The election campaign of Madison County Circuit Court Judge Amy Sholar announced Tuesday that she has decided not to join the Judge’s Retirement System of Illinois and therefore won’t draw a judge’s pension when she retires.
“Sholar made the decision to avoid dipping into the already debt-ridden state pension program unnecessarily,” according to a press release.
The average pension for retired Illinois state judges is $146,000 a year, the release stated, referencing a report of Illinois Policy, a research group that promotes “personal freedom and prosperity.”
“I wanted to send a clear message that I accepted the appointment as Madison County Circuit Court judge to help people and interpret the law fairly for everyone,” Sholar said in the release.
“I know that everyone may not understand this decision, but it’s a matter of principle. It’s no secret that we have a pension system in Illinois that is clearly broken and anything that I can do as an individual to help not be a burden on that system felt like the responsible thing to do.”
In April, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Sholar to fill a vacancy in the Third Judicial Circuit, which includes Madison and Bond counties, created by the retirement of Judge Richard Tognarelli. Her appointment will expire Dec. 5, 2022.
Sholar, a Republican, announced in May that she would seek to retain the seat in the general election on Nov. 8, 2022. No opponent has stepped forward as of yet.
“Judge Sholar’s announcement (about not joining the retirement system) comes as the S&P Global Ratings adjusted Illinois’ bond rating for the first time in 25 years, but with harsh criticism of how Illinois handles its public pension funds,” the press release stated.
“Illinois’ pension crisis has been rated the worst in the nation, measured by pension debt relative to state gross domestic product, since fiscal year 2014. Illinois reportedly owes roughly $144.2 billion in net pension debt and that number is estimated to continue rising due to state population decline and increasing costs for benefits.”
Sholar practiced law for 19 years before being appointed judge. She was a founding partner of Sholar Stephan Law in Alton, focusing primarily on domestic litigation and serving as a court-appointed guardian ad litem in custody cases.
Sholar previously worked as planning coordinator for the city of Alton.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 3:01 PM.