Candidates vie for new circuit judge position
By CARRIE FRILLMAN cfrillman@daily-chronicle.comBy ELENA GRIMM egrimm@daily-chronicle.com
DeKALB – Three candidates are vying for a newly created resident circuit judge position.
The new judge must live in DeKalb County, but could be in a courtroom anywhere in the 16th Judicial Circuit, which also includes Kane and Kendall counties.
"They will sit wherever the chief judge decides they will sit," said DeKalb County Presiding Judge Kurt Klein. "... They will go where they're needed."
A new judge is needed in the circuit because there is an increase in the number of cases, and more people live in the circuit, Klein said. Several judges also have been reassigned to subcircuits, smaller geographic areas within a circuit.
"The three new circuit seats were just created recently for the purpose of replacing those judges that were elected to the subcircuits," he said.
There are five subcircuits in the 16th judicial circuit — three in Kane County and two that split up Kendall and DeKalb counties, Klein said.
The new resident judge will be the fourth circuit judge from DeKalb County, said state Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, who sponsored the legislation that funds the position. But Circuit Judge James Donnelly will soon retire, Klein said, keeping the number at three.
"The legislation is in response to the increased case load that now judges have to handle," Pritchard said. "It seemed appropriate."
The bill also adds a resident judge in Kane and Kendall counties, he noted, and one additional circuit-wide judge — the candidate for that seat can be from any county in the district.
Local candidates for the resident circuit judge include Tom Doherty, 64, of DeKalb. He considers running for the seat a rare opportunity, he said.
"It's something I've always thought about and I'm in the fourth quarter of my career, so to speak," Doherty said. "This would be the ideal way for me to spend my last quarter. I think I would be good at it and I'm going to give it my best shot."
Doherty moved to DeKalb with his family in 1953, he said, and graduated from local secondary schools including St. Mary School in DeKalb and DeKalb High School. He earned a business management undergraduate degree in 1969 from Northern Illinois University and a law degree there in 1986, he said.
He and his son now own The Doherty Law Firm in DeKalb.
Doherty recognizes that his competition is formidable, he said.
One of them is Jordan Gallagher, 62, who was born and raised in DeKalb and has lived in Sycamore since 1975. He began as an assistant state's attorney and then as state's attorney from 1976 to 1984.
In 1984, he began his own law practice, in general law with an emphasis on litigation. He had offices in DeKalb and Sycamore until he was selected associate circuit judge over a year ago.
"When the circuit selected me I felt very honored and humbled," he said. "Now that the opportunity to become circuit judge presented itself, I thought it was the appropriate thing for me to do at this point to give back to the community."
As a lawyer, he also served for 15 years as a special assistant attorney general in Illinois and was named special prosecutor in Kendall and Lee counties to handle special cases.
Richard Larson, 65, of rural DeKalb is the third candidate. He has also worked as a judge and a lawyer.
He began as an lawyer in 1969 and handles cases in civil, family and criminal court. His office is in Sycamore.
He served as an associate judge for the 16th Judicial Circuit from 1982 to 1995 and presented continuing legal education programs for judges on the topics of juvenile law, domestic relations, equitable powers and court management.
"I feel I've reached the point in my career where this is an appropriate transition," Larson said. "I've enjoyed helping the folks of DeKalb County with their various legal problems for all these years and hoping that I can help them even further by bringing the skills and the knowledge I have to bear in my role as a judge in the courtroom."
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