Justice Elizabeth Rochford Announces Notice of Vacancy for Circuit Judge in Nineteenth Circuit

Justice Elizabeth Rochford of the Supreme Court of Illinois has begun an application process for a Resident Circuit Judge vacancy in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Third Subcircuit. The vacancy will be created by the retirement of Judge Charles W. Smith effective Aug. 31, 2026.

Under the Illinois Constitution, judicial vacancies are filled by Supreme Court appointment. The application process will lead to full Court approval.

The application form and instructions may be obtained by visiting the Illinois Supreme Court’s website and following the instruction in the latest news scroller announcing the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit vacancy. Please submit application and supporting documents to Stacie Ryan at sryan@illinoiscourts.gov.

Deadline for submission of an application is September 2, 2026, at 5 p.m.

The person selected to fill the vacancy will serve until the first Monday in December following the November 2028 general election.

To be eligible for consideration for appointment, the applicant must be a lawyer licensed to practice law in Illinois and a resident of the Nineteenth Circuit.

Any candidate seeking appointment to this vacancy shall, at the time of appointment, reside within the Subcircuit No. 3 boundaries. A map of the subcircuit boundaries can be found here.

(FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: James Brunner, Public Information Officer of the Illinois Supreme Court at 217.208.3354 or jbrunner@illinoiscourts.gov.)