Candidates engage for November election 

Pity candidates for judicial posts.

While folks running for alderman or mayor or governor or the legislature can talk about darn near anything they want in their campaigns, those who want to be a judge can’t discuss most issues that voters are interested in.

How many years in prison should rapists serve? Do you agree with laws restricting access to abortions? Should marijuana be legalized for recreational use? Do you favor the death penalty?

Candidates for judicial spots can’t answer such questions without running afoul of ethics rules that bar would-be judges from commenting on issues or controversies that might come before them in courtrooms. There are also ethics rules that bar lawyers from besmirching other lawyers, so what might be OK in a non-judicial race could get a judicial candidate in trouble if statements about opponents aren’t true. And so races often come down to experience, personal popularity and name recognition, according to former Sangamon County Circuit Court Judge Pat Kelley, who retired last year.

“You can’t talk about the issues,” Kelley says. “One candidate says ‘I’m fair but firm,’ the other says ‘I’m firm but fair.’” But the race pitting David Reid, a Springfield attorney, against April Troemper, appointed to an at-large spot on the circuit bench last year by the Illinois Supreme Court to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of former circuit judge Patrick Londrigan, isn’t shaping up to be a typical judicial campaign.

Campaign disclosure reports show that contributors are crossing party lines for the Nov. 8 election. Kelley, a Republican, has contributed $200 to Reid, who is running as a Democrat. The former judge explains that Reid helped him years ago when he was on the ballot.

“So it’s a quid pro quo,” Kelley says. “Plus, he’s a good candidate. It’s going to be an interesting race.

Conversely, disclosure reports from Troemper, a Republican, show contributions from Democrats, chief among them Springfield attorney Tim Timoney, former chairman of the Sangamon County Democratic party, who has given $500. Troemper has received an additional $750 from Timoney’s law firm.

Timoney says that Troemper is a friend. In addition, her son works as a runner for his law office, Timoney said.

“I’ve known her for a long time,” Timoney said. “Springfield’s a small town. There’s relationships that have built up over the years.”

The race could prove expensive. The most recent reports filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections show that Troemper has raised more than $40,000. Reid has nearly tripled that, having raised more than $117,000, according to the most recent disclosure reports. Reid has contributed or loaned more than $68,000 to his own campaign.

Reid applied for the judgeship that went to Troemper last year. He said that he’s had his eye on the bench for awhile.

“I’ve been applying for judicial positions for some time,” Reid said. “Frankly, I haven’t been successful. After this last go-around, I just decided, if I’m going to be a judge, I have to run for it.”

Reid’s practice centers around civil law, particularly tax issues. He has also served as a judge and commissioner for the Illinois Court of Claims, and he’s worked for the Internal Revenue Service.

“I’ve been involved in a lot of trials,” Reid said. “I was with the chief counsel of the IRS, trying cases on behalf of the IRS. Those were all civil trials. I also worked on criminal trials where the government would prosecute the taxpayer.”

Reid has been a lawyer for more than three decades; Troemper was admitted to the bar in 1998. Troemper says that her experience on the bench separates her from her opponent.

“For the last six-and-a-half years, I have been doing the job,” Troemper said. “I did not require on-the-job training (when named a circuit judge). Obviously, he’s going to say he has 30 years of legal experience. I don’t believe his experience carries over.”

Reid finished ahead of Troemper in a recent Illinois State Bar Association poll of lawyers asked to rate the candidates. Of lawyers who filled out surveys, 80 percent said that Reid met the requirements of the office; 75 percent said that Troemper met requirements.

Troemper said that her scores were higher in a 2011 bar poll held when she was up for reappointment as an associate judge; in 2009, when she was initially appointed to the bench, she failed to get a 65-percent approval rating, the minimum needed to be considered a recommended choice for a judgeship.

Troemper said she can’t explain her shifting results in bar polls over the years, but she noted that the Illinois Supreme Court last year picked her over Reid and other candidates to fill the circuit court vacancy.

“My legal ability has not decreased at all,” Troemper said. “Those bar polls can have a lot of value, but I’d much rather have the approval of the Illinois Supreme Court.”

Reid said bar polls matter. “It’s really the only way for an independent group to specify what they think of a person,” Reid said. “The Illinois State Bar Association thinks the attorneys themselves have a unique view on the best candidates.”

Contact Bruce Rushton at [email protected].