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Robert P. LeChien
Robert P. LeChien was a judge of the Twentieth Circuit Court of Illinois. He was first elected in 1998 and died on August 31, 2017.[1]
LeChien was retained in 2004 and 2010. Instead of running for retention again in 2016, he submitted his resignation and filed for a vacancy on the court. Read more below.[2]
Education
LeChien earned his J.D. from the Southern Illinois University School of Law.[3]
Career
- 1998-2017: Judge, Illinois Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court (Elected)
- 1987-1998: Associate judge, Illinois Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court (Appointed)
- 1985-1987: Founder, Consumer Law Center
- 1980-1985: Attorney, LeChien & Associates
- 1976-1980: Prosecutor, St. Clair County[3]
Elections
2016
LeChien submitted his resignation and also filed to run for election to a vacancy on the court instead of running for retention. Judges Robert B. Haida and C. John Baricevic also resigned and filed for election. Baricevic and Haida filed to run for each other's vacancies, while LeChien filed to run for his own vacancy. While this strategy may force the judges to run against an opponent, they would need only a majority to win. Judges running for retention must receive 60 percent of the vote in order to secure another term.[2]
Attorneys hired by Belleville City Clerk Dallas Cook launched an attempt to keep the judges off the primary ballot, accusing the judges of "circumventing what is intended by the Illinois Constitution."[4] Attorneys from both sides presented oral arguments to the Illinois State Board of Elections on January 4. An attorney representing the judges said, "It is irregular, but that doesn’t make it illegal."[2] The board of elections addressed the matter in its regularly scheduled meeting on January 20. Due to a 4-4 tie vote, the board took no action in removing the judges from the ballot.[5]
Illinois held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. Robert P. LeChien defeated Laninya Cason in the Illinois Twentieth Circuit Court (St. Clair County) general election.
| Illinois Twentieth Circuit Court, St. Clair County, LeChien Vacancy, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Robert P. LeChien |
50.97% | 58,797 | |
| Republican | Laninya Cason | 49.03% | 56,550 | |
| Total Votes | 115,347 | |||
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election Results General Election - 11/8/2016," accessed April 10, 2017 | ||||
Illinois held a primary election for local judicial offices on March 15, 2016.[6] Robert P. LeChien ran unopposed in the Illinois Twentieth Circuit Court (St. Clair County) Democratic Primary.[7]
| Illinois Twentieth Circuit Court, St. Clair County, LeChien Vacancy, Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Robert P. LeChien (unopposed) |
100.00% | 25,078 |
| Total Votes | 25,078 | |
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "Primary Election Results: Judicial," accessed June 13, 2016 | ||
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Metro East judge who resigned and ran again in strategy to retain judgeship has died," September 3, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Belleville News-Democrat, "Attorneys present arguments on both sides of election challenge for three St. Clair County judges," January 4, 2016
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Madison-St. Clair Record, "QA with Judge LeChien: ‘Behind’ the scenes," September 22, 2005
- ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Motions to knock judges off primary ballot filed with state," December 19, 2015
- ↑ Madison Record, "Elections board deadlocked in judicial ballot challenge; Judicial review may be sought in Cook or Sangamon County," January 20, 2016
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "2016 Election Schedule and Registration Deadlines," accessed October 26, 2016
- ↑ Illinois Judges, "Announced Vacancies for the Primary and General Elections 2016," accessed December 21, 2015
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois
State courts:
Illinois Supreme Court • Illinois Appellate Court • Illinois Circuit Court
State resources:
Courts in Illinois • Illinois judicial elections • Judicial selection in Illinois
