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Ronald Duebbert
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Ronald Duebbert is a judge for the Twentieth Circuit Court in Illinois. He was elected in the general election on November 8, 2016.
Duebbert was a candidate for the 20th Circuit Court of Illinois in 2012. He was defeated by Vincent J. Lopinot in the general election.
Duebbert was placed on administrative leave on January 3, 2017, due to allegations of violating rules of judicial conduct. He faces felony and misdemeanor charges of battery, intimidation, and solicitation of a sex act in an unrelated case. Learn more about these cases here.
Biography
Duebbert earned his B.A. from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville in 1984 and his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1989. Duebbert began his career as a private practice attorney. He worked with two law firms before becoming an assistant state's attorney for St. Clair County. From 1991 to 2016, he worked as a solo practitioner.[1]
Elections
2016
Illinois held general elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. Ronald Duebbert defeated C. John Baricevic in the Illinois Twentieth Circuit Court general election.
| Illinois Twentieth Circuit Court, Haida Vacancy, General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Ronald Duebbert |
50.26% | 82,125 | |
| Democratic | C. John Baricevic | 49.74% | 81,286 | |
| Total Votes | 163,411 | |||
| 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.[2] Ronald Duebbert ran unopposed in the Illinois Twentieth Circuit Court Republican Primary.[3]
| Illinois Twentieth Circuit Court, Haida Vacancy, Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Ronald Duebbert (unopposed) |
100.00% | 32,148 |
| Total Votes | 32,148 | |
| Source: Illinois State Board of Elections, "Primary Election Results: Judicial," accessed June 13, 2016 | ||
Selection method
- See also: Partisan elections
There are 513 judges on the Illinois Circuit Court, each elected in partisan elections to six-year terms. Upon the completion of these terms, judges who wish to continue serving must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections.[4]
The chief judge of each circuit court is selected by peer vote; he or she serves in that capacity indefinitely.[4]
The circuit courts are also served by 391 associate judges, who are limited in that they may not preside over cases in which the defendant is charged with a felony (an offense punishable by one or more years in prison). Associate judges are appointed to four-year terms by circuit judges.[5][4]
Midterm vacancies are filled by Illinois Supreme Court appointment.[4]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[4]
- a U.S. citizen;
- a circuit/county resident; and
- licensed to practice law in Illinois.
2012
- See also: Illinois judicial elections, 2012
Duebbert was defeated by Vincent J. Lopinot on Nov. 6, 2012, receiving 44.4 percent of the vote. He was unopposed in the Republican primary on March 20, 2012.[6][6][7]
Noteworthy events
Administrative leave during county investigation
On January 3, 2017, Duebbert was placed on administrative leave because he previously housed a person of interest in a murder case. The Belleville News-Democrat reported that David Fields lived with Duebbert from October 2016 to December 2016. At the time of the leave, Fields was considered a person of interest in the December 2016 murder of Carl Zilas and imprisoned for violating parole. Duebbert told the publication that he was trying to help Fields find work and seek custody of his child.[8]
In a January 7 letter to the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly accused Duebbert of violating rules of judicial conduct by discussing a murder suspect.[9] Special prosecutors Charles Colburn and David Neal began an investigation in February 2017 to determine if Duebbert should be charged with obstruction of justice.[10]
Allegations of sexual assault
An unnamed man filed an affidavit on October 23, 2017, attesting that Duebbert offered a discount on his legal bill in exchange for a sex act during Duebbert's time as an attorney. The affidavit claims that Duebbert offered to reduce the man's bill by $100 for the sex act, which the man refused to do. The claimant was represented by Duebbert after being charged with felony fleeing from police in 2016, and he argued that his guilty plea was influenced by his interactions with Duebbert. Alex Enyart, representing the claimant, said that the guilty plea should be vacated due to Duebbert's alleged behavior. Enyart also notified the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board about the affidavit. Duebbert did not respond to the affidavit after its filing, though has argued that Democrats want his removal because he is gay and Republican.[11] On October 31, 2017, Judge Thomas Dinn III ruled that the claimant could withdraw his guilty plea given the circumstances of his case.[12]
Duebbert was charged with felony charges of sexual abuse and intimidation along with two misdemeanors on November 6, 2017. The intimidation charge alleges that Duebbert threatened the unnamed man following the events in question. The misdemeanor charges include battery and solicitation of a sexual act.[13] Scott Rosenblum, an attorney representing Duebbert, told local media that the judge would plead not guilty.[14] Duebbert declined comment on the charges, but he surrendered to local police for booking on November 8, 2017. A hearing on the charges against Duebbert was held on December 1, 2017.[15]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Martindale.com, "Ronald R. Duebbert - Lawyer Profile"
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Illinois," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ State of Illinois, "About the Courts in Illinois," accessed June 30, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Illinois Board of Elections: November 6, 2012 Official Vote Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "election" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Illinois Judges, "Vacancy of Michael J. O'Malley - Candidates for Circuit Judge - Twentieth Circuit (Circuitwide)"
- ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Duebbert taken off cases because of ties to ‘person of interest’ in murder," January 3, 2017
- ↑ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Prosecutor alleges St. Clair County judge violated judicial rules during murder investigation," January 20, 2017
- ↑ Madison-St. Clair Record, "Special prosecutors have been picked to lead Duebbert investigation," February 6, 2017
- ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Man alleges judge offered reduced legal fee in exchange for sex," October 23, 2017
- ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Guilty plea withdrawn for man who says Duebbert fondled him," October 31, 2017
- ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Judge charged with felony sexual abuse and intimidation, plus two misdemeanors," November 6, 2017
- ↑ Madison-St. Clair Record, "Duebbert will plead not guilty to felony sexual abuse charges; Lawyer says 'because he's not guilty'," November 7, 2017
- ↑ Belleville News-Democrat, "Judge surrenders to Belleville police on sex and intimidation charges," November 8, 2017
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
