money Sangamon County assistant state's attorney appointed to Seventh Judicial Circuit
Robin Lee Schmidt has been appointed as resident circuit judge for the Seventh Judicial Circuit, the position she is running for this fall.
Schmidt's appointment was made by Justice Rita B. Garman and the Illinois Supreme Court.
Schmidt, an assistant state's attorney in Sangamon County, is running unopposed for that seat.
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The Seventh Judicial Circuit encompasses Jersey, Macoupin, Greene, Scott, Morgan and Sangamon counties.
The appointment fills a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John Belz in July 2021.
Schmidt's late husband, John Schmidt, was serving as a judge in the Fourth District Appellate Court when he died in December 2017. John Schmidt also had been a Sangamon County circuit judge and Sangamon County state's attorney.
Robin Schmidt's appointment takes effect on June 8, and will conclude on Dec. 5, when the vacancy will be filled by the winner of the November 2022 general election.
“Robin’s service as a prosecutor and administrative law judge have prepared her well for this new role serving the community,” Garman said. “I welcome her to the bench and am confident she will be an excellent member of the judiciary.”
Schmidt serves as felony prosecutor with a focus on domestic violence and elder abuse and exploitation. It is her second stint with the state's attorney's office.
Schmidt has been an elected trustee of the Springfield Park Board since 2013.
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Prior to joining the state's attorney's office, Schmidt was an administrative hearings representative/prosecutor for the Illinois Secretary of State and had served as chief administrative law judge and administrative law judge with the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Schmidt earned her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her juris doctor from the Southern Illinois University School of Law.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Sangamon County ASA appointed to Seventh Judicial Circuit
