A retired judge from Taylorville, a civil rights attorney from Peoria, and a former defense attorney from Springfield will be among the citizens who will help the Illinois Senators recommend candidates to become the next US attorney and marshal for the Central District of Illinois become.
A six-person screening committee, appointed by Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, will review candidates ‘applications and advise Democratic Senators on candidates’ qualifications, according to a press release.
Applicants must submit cover letters, résumés and a questionnaire by May 3rd. The Senators will make recommendations to President Joe Biden, and Biden will submit nominations to the US Senate for votes from the Senate and Senate judiciary as a whole. A schedule for approval has not been set.
The federal central district has offices in Springfield, Peoria, Urbana and Rock Island.
Before:John Milhiser resigns as US attorney for central Illinois
Douglas J. Quivey has served as acting US attorney for the district since US attorney John Milhiser stepped down in February. Democrat Biden urged most U.S. attorneys across the country to step down so he could name his own candidates after Republican Donald Trump’s defeat in November.
Current U.S. Marshal Brendan Heffner will serve like other U.S. marshals until new marshals are named and they can apply for the four-year term, an aide from Durbin said.
More:Douglas Quivey appointed Acting United States Attorney for the Central District of Illinois
Ronald Spears, a retired Circuit Court judge in Illinois at the 4th Judicial Circuit in Taylorville from 1979 to 1993, was named chairman of the committee. He works as a mediator and arbitrator with Spears Dispute Resolution LLC.
The other committee members are:
- Ted Gottfried, who served as the Springfield Director of the State Appellate Defender Office from 1972 to 2008, served legal representation in more than 40,000 criminal cases in the Illinois appellate courts and the Supreme Courts.
- Donald Jackson, a Peoria-based individual practice attorney, specializes in civil rights and workplace discrimination and is the past president of the Peoria Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the NAACP’s Illinois State Conference.
- Rebecca Johnson, of Quincy, is a former lawyer with the Illinois Legislative Reference Bureau.
- Nicola Sharpe is a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law, where her research interests are corporate governance, ethics, compliance and professional responsibility. She is also the director of the Chicago Business Law Program.
- Ruth Waller is a former Macon County attorney where she served as the senior director of child support. Previously, she was a partner in the law firm Johnson, Waller & Chiligris and former president of the Springfield Coalition of Black Attorneys.
Contact Dean Olsen: [email protected]; (217) 836-1068; twitter.com/DeanOlsenSJR.
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