Circuit shorts

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District will get a new chief judge on July 1. Judge James F. Holderman will succeed Chief Judge Charles P. Kocoras, who will take senior status at the end of June.

A member of the ISBA Federal Civil Practice Section Council, Holderman will serve as chief judge for seven years. Co-chair of the American Jury Project Committion of the 7th Circuit Bar Association, he chaired a committee that implemented electronic filing in the Northern District.

A 1971 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Holderman was an assistant U.S. attorney from 1972 until 1978, when he joined Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal. He was appointed to the federal court in 1985.

The interim term of Rodger A. Heaton as U.S. attorney for the Central District has been extended indefinitely by U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.

Heaton was named acting district attorney after Jan Paul Miller resigned Nov. 30 to join the St. Louis law firm of Thompson Coburn as a partner. The appointment was to have expired March 29.

Congressman J. Dennis Hastert, who is speaker of the U.S. House and ranking Re--publican in the Illinois delegation, has the responsibility of recommending a nominee to President Bush.

Marilyn F. Johnson, general counsel to the Chicago Board of Education since 1966, was installed March 17 as a Cook County Circuit Court judge until Dec. 1, 2008. She replaces Michael R. Keehan, who retired.

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Joliet attorney Bennett J. Braun will be inducted as an associate judge of the 12th Circuit on May 5. He succeeds Kathleen Glenney Kallan, who retired.

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Linda Austin, a 15-year Jackson County assistant state's attorney, began her tenure March 1 as director of court operations for Presiding Judge William Schwartz. She will report on proceedings of the county board judicial and law enforcement committees and the Jackson County Bar Association, and act as news media liaison.

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Judge Michael D. Kramer of the 21st Circuit in Kankakee has been appointed to the Judicial Conference of Illinois for a term that ends Dec. 31, 2007. He also will serve on the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinating Committee of the conference through Dec. 31, 2006.

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State Rep. Kenneth Dunkin of Chicago was appointed March 1 to a one-year term as a non-lawyer on the Hearing Board of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission.

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Chicago attorney Alan Rosen has joined the Illinois attorney general's office as deputy chief, succeeding Barry B. Gross, who retired. Rosen was senior partner in Young, Rosen, Finkel & Silbert.

Chief Justice Robert R. Thomas of the Illinois Supreme Court will accept applications through Friday, April 28, for the appointment of a judge in the 15th Circuit.

Judge David T. Fritts of Dixon resigned March 9. His successor will serve until December 2008 and could be a candidate for election to the vacancy.

John Taylor left his position as first assistant Champaign County public defender to become an assistant federal defender in the Central District in Urbana on Jan. 23. He handled some federal clients previously when conflicts occurred.

Taylor replaces Tiffani Johnson, who is now a public defender in Nevada.

Judge J. Phil Gilbert of U.S. District Court for the Southern District conducted a naturalization ceremony on March 31 in the auditorium at the Southern Illinois University School of Law. A reception followed.

Three former chief judges of the 19th Circuit were honored at a special ceremony Feb. 24 for their long careers on the bench and programs established during their tenures.

Judge Jane Waller, with 25 years of service, was the first woman associate judge, circuit judge and chief judge in Lake County. She inspired creation of Kids' Korner, a supervised courthouse waiting room.

Judge Raymond McKoski, with 21 years on the bench, started training seminars for new judges and pioneered the use of technology in courtrooms.

Judge Stephen Waller, a 21-year jurist, started a mentoring program for new judges, mandatory parenting programs and long-range planning.