6th Circuit - Clem Vacancy

Questions & Answers

What is the importance a 6th Circuit Judge to your constituents in Champaign County?

Understanding and valuing the people within the communities you serve, is fundamental to holding such an important seat. I firmly believe that the voters in Champaign County, should at the very least, be given the opportunity to know who their sitting judges are, and I am committed to ensuring that the voters know who I am prior to the election. One of the tenants of our Justice System, a system that is made up of various types of cases, is that justice is provided and available to everyone. This is accomplished in many ways, one of which is through transparency of those who serve within the Courtroom walls. I believe that in order for our legal system to work at peak effectiveness and to operate in the spirit in which it was originally designed, is for people in the community to be knowledgeable not only with current laws and procedures but to know who their elected judges are as well. All too often the familiarization occurs once a person enters into the justice system either through a dissolution proceeding, a traffic ticket, a guardianship, probate matter, or a criminal charge. There is also a reason as to why Circuit Judges are not simply appointed to serve and why they must then seek election to the seat, and this is because there is a recognition that the members of each community should and must be given an opportunity to select the candidate for judge of their choosing. By having candidates for judicial seats run for their position helps cultivate a public trust which is again a fundamental aspect of our justice system.

Why are you qualified to be a 6th Circuit Judge?

Possessing the qualifications and experiences necessary to be a Circuit Judge are imperative and I believe that not only do I have them, but that I am the candidate with the most well rounded experiences to hold this position. A judge should not just be competent in Criminal Law, when the vast majority of the population is exposed to our justice system through family law, probate matters, civil litigation or through traffic tickets. I have built my law practice around the values that I believe in and one of those values was to become familiar with issues that affect so many within our communities. One such area I have found that was lacking professional legal assistance was the matters that our veterans encounter within our justice system, so I have spent years working on behalf of them and their families. For this reason, I am often called upon by already elected and appointed judges to offer advice and guidance to issues that they have before them or have had at one time. Whether it has been being at the forefront of Traumatic Brain Injuries in our returning soldiers as evidenced by my CNN interview, or being recognized as being the attorney who made it possible to bring forth a positive outcome in a case involving a service member and his children as written about in the Illinois Bar Journal, I know that what I do each and every day has an impact on the lives of many, and I operate knowing this and both my personal and professional worlds reflect this. I believe in my community. I believe in the ideals that justice is not reserved for a few, and I have devoted my practice to serving clients who do not have the financial resources to hire counsel. I have been appointed by the local Courts to a variety of cases and have never sought payment from the county and I strive to provide the opportunity for counsel to those who do not qualify under the standard income guidelines. I created Wills for Soldiers so that our military men and women would be knowledgeable and given an opportunity to exercise this knowledge in preparing documents that would aid their families and children in the event of injury or death. I have been blessed to have been given the opportunity to build a professional legal practice that affords me the opportunity to be of service to those in my community. I believe that all of these characteristics make me not only the most qualified but also make me the most reflective of our county's values.

What is a key policy difference between you and your Primary Opponent?

While as a judicial candidate I am prohibited from speaking about policy and policy differences among those seeking judicial seats, I do believe one of the major difference between myself and my primary opponent is experience both professionally and personally. I have built a successful practice from the ground up, learning and excelling in many areas of the law. Instead of being given a budget in which to draw from, I have had to be resourceful, be exceptional at what I do and cultivate a public trust. It is through this earned trust that I have been given the ability to assist so many people during some of the most vulnerable and traumatic periods of their lives regardless of their ability to pay. I have experience in Criminal Court, in Family Court, in probate matters, and in VA matters and Social Security Claims and various other parts of our legal system, which is needed as judges who over the course of their judicial career, hear all types of cases. I have been the chairperson of the Family Law Bar for the past eight years, I have been selected to serve with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, and my work, being at the forefront of veterans issues, has been covered nationally. This vast amount of experience has made me understand the complexities my clients face when they seek my assistance and this understanding makes me, as an attorney more effective at doing my job and will make me the best suited person to hold the vacated seat of Judge Clem.

Is there anything else you would like to say to an undecided voter in Champaign County?

First and foremost, I would say that their voice matters. As I stated before, there is a reason why Circuit Judges are not simply appointed to their seat and that they are instead, required to run, and that is because, the right for the voters to decide their elected judges is a fundamental aspect of our justice system. It is important to consider the experiences and qualifications of your candidates, but it is you, the voter, who has been given the right to define what constitutes the experiences and qualifications that matter the most. It is my job as your candidate to show you that I am the best candidate for this judicial seat and I intend to show this to each and every voter in the six communities that I am running in.

A video forum featuring both 6th Circuit Judge candidates was hosted by the League of Women Voters, The News-Gazette, and NAACP.

You can watch the full candidate forum: here.