McHenry County Blog

Google blew away the articles I wrote in the first two or three years of McHenry County Blog.  That was after the company labeled this a “spam blog.”

That loss included my article on the inauguration of the 22nd Circuit Court.  That was when McHenry County was separated from Lake County and made a separate Circuit Court District, thanks to legislation sponsored by State Rep. Jack Franks.

The most memorable part of the December, 2006, ceremony occurred when then-Circuit Court Clerk Bill Kays unveiled a mock seal for the newly independent court system.  You can see it below, thanks to a search for another series of photos:

Circuit Court Clerk Bill Kays makes his sense of humor evident in the mock 22nd Circuit Court seal he designed and presented before the real one was unveiled.

You will note that he calls it “The Double Deuce Circuit Court.”

Above a pair of dice showing twos, one can see, “Take a Gamble on Us!”

The lower part of the outer circle asks, “Are you feeling lucky?”

The seal of the 22nd Circuit Court.

A press release from the McHenry County Circuit Court

24 APPLY FOR McHENRY COUNTY ASSOCIATE JUDGE POSITIONS

Michael J. Sullivan, Chief Judge, announced today that 24 attorneys have filed applications to become the next Associate Judges of the 22nd Judiciai Circuit.

The two Associate Judge vacancies are the result of the appointment of Associate Judge Michael W. Feetterer to the position of Circuit Judge, effective December 3, 2012, and the retirement of Associate Judge Gerald M. Zopp, Jr., effective December 31, 2012.

Among the attorneys seeking the appointment are soie practitioners:

• Neil O. Anderson of Spring Grove;
• Raymond N. Flavin of Woodstock;
• Robert T. Hanlon of Woodstock;
• Richard H. Jackson of Crystal Lake;
• Denise M. Kuzniewski of McHenry;
• Gerald P. Lenzen of Woodstock;
• George A. Mueller of Crystal Lake; and
• Mary H. Nader of McHenry.

Other appiâcants include

• Anne K. Brophy of Woodstock, a Deputy Staff Judge Advocate with the U.S. Army;
• Christopher M. Harmon of Richmond, an associate with the firm of Gummerson Rausch Wand Lee Wombacher, LLC; Mark R. Facchini of Crystal Lake, an associate with the firm of Donahue & Walsh, PC;
• Robert W. Fetzner of Crystai Lake, an associate with the firm of Buxton Si Kasper;
• Kristen N. Foiey of Woodstock, a Senior Assistant City Attorney with the City of Naperville;
• Adrian M. Gosch of Crystal Lake, an associate with the firm of Gummerson Rausch Wand Lee Wombacher, LLC; Cynthia D. Lamb of Buit Valiey, a partner with the firm of Campion Curran Lamb Si Cunabaugh, PC;
• James K. McBride of Johnsburg, a partner with the firm of Short & McBride;
• Jeannie M. Ridings of Crystal Lake, a partner with the firm of Kililis Ridings & Vonau, PC;
• Cynthia A. Schaupp of Algonquin, an attorney with the firm of Holland & Knight;
• Marjorie L. Worth of McHenry, a senior associate with the firm of Botto Gilbert Schottland Lancaster; and Salty J. Zimmerman of Woodstock, a partner with the firm of Cassiday Schade LLP.

Two McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorneys have also apptied, namely:

• Demetrios P. Tsìlimigras of Cary, and
• Norman D. Vinton of Crystal Lake;

along with one Winnebago County Assistant State’s Attorney

• Tiffany E. Davis of Woodstock, and

one Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney,

•  Mary E. McClellan of McHenry.

The applicants will be interviewed by the Circuit Judges and they be jointly evaluated by the Illinois State Bar Association and the McHenry County Bar Association.

After the review process has been completed, the Chief Judge will request that the Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts initiate the balloting process.

Within 14 days of the Chief Judge’s request, the Director shall place the names of each candidate on a ballot in alphabetical order. The ballots will be mailed to each Circuit Judge.

Each Circuit Judge will complete the ballot by voting for one candidate for each vacancy.

The ballots must be returned to the Director within 14 days of the date on which the ballots were distributed.

The Director will count the ballots and tabulate the results and certify the results to the Chief Judge.

Public comment by letter is invited on or before November 20, 2012. Address correspondence to Chief Judge Michael J. Suilivan, McHenry County Government Center, 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098.

A press release from the McHenry County Circuit Court:

Twenty Second Judicial Circuit Launches Online Juror Affidavit and Questionnaire

The seal of the 22nd District Circuit Court.

WOODSTOCK, IL – Eighteen months ago the Twenty Second Judicial Circuit of McHenry County, the Jury Commission Office and the Office of the Trial Court Administrator began exploring possibilities of developing an online juror affidavit/questionnaire.

It was determined that Justice Systems Inc., which is the current provider of the information management system Jury+Next Generation, was in the process of developing such a system.

In December of 2011, Justice Systems Inc. was contracted to develop an integrated online system which would allow prospective jurors to securely log into the system via the internet, update their information and answer questions concerning their eligibility to serve as a juror.

After a thorough development and testing phase, the new online system Jury+Web Solution went “live” on September 27, 2012.

Prospective jurors will still receive the affidavit/questionnaire via the United States Postal Service.

At that point, the prospective juror has 2 options:

• the prospective juror can either log into the system via the Jury Commission’s portal or
• the juror can complete the affidavit/questionnaire in written form and return it to the Jury Commission Office.

A prospective juror, once logged into the system, can review and correct their name and address information, and is linked to the affidavit/questionnaire. The affidavit/questionnaire is an electronic “form” specifically tailored to capture the information necessary to qualify the prospective juror. Prospective jurors may use JURY+ Web Solution to:

• Provide or update their personal information
• Answer questions relating to their qualifications as a prospective juror

JURY+Web Solution fully automates the process of updating the JURY+Next Generation database with the data submitted on the web “form”. An image of the submitted “form” is automatically stored in a secure electronic format and can only be retrieved by network users with appropriate security authorization. Qualification and excuse requests submitted via the web form can be granted or routed to a designated user for review, based on the Court’s business practices.

The Court is looking to JURY+ Web Solution to:

• Reduce the cost of postage, handling, sorting, filing of affidavit/questionnaires and other documents
• Provide better service to citizens of McHenry County and the Court
• Reduce or eliminate lost and damaged documents
• Achieve better efficiency in the juror affidavit process

The total cost of the project was $13,350 with an ongoing support and maintenance contract.

Additional information about the McHenry County Jury Commission can be found at www.22ndcircuitillinois.org and by clicking on the Jury Commission link on the left side of the web page.

Charles Weech

Michael Chmiel

Three McHenry County Circuit Court Judges are on the ballot for retention.

They run unopposed on what is called a “retention” ballot.

If they receive 60% of the vote, they get another six years.

If they don’t, they are off the bench.

They are

• Mike Chmiel,
• Mareen McIntyre
• Charles Weech

Joe Condon

Marten Zopp

The Illinois Supreme Court has authorized the appointment of two new Associate Judges in McHenry County’s 22nd Judicial Circuit.

It’s a well-paying job and the taxpayers pay for office expenses, so there will probably be a lot of attorneys interested.

The vacancies exist because Associate Judge Marty Zopp is retiring and Associate Judge Michael Feeterer has been appointed to replace retiring Circuit Court Judge Joe Condon.

You can see the details revealed by Chief Judge Michael Sullivan below:

Click to enlarge Judge Michael Sullivan’s notice.

Joe Condon

Michael Feetterer

Circuit Judge Joseph Condon plans to retire when his term is up in December.

His replacement is selected by our Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert Thomas.

That person will be current Associate Court Judge Judge Michael W. Feetterer.

I asked Judge Feetterer what type of cases he handled when I met him at McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi’s fund raiser last Thursday.

He rattled off so many different areas, I asked if he could be characterized as “a utility player.”

The good-humored Feetterer, with beaming lady beside him, allowed as how that might describe his role in the Court system.

With Associate Judge Marty Zopp’s resignation, that will mean two slots are open for Associate Judges.

Those slots are filled by a vote of all the elected Circuit Court Judges.  Lawyers apply for the appointments.

The current elected Judges are

• Michael T. Caldwell
• Michael J. Chmiel
• Joseph P. Condon
• Gordon E. Graham
• Maureen P. McIntyre
• Sharon Prather
• Michael J. Sullivan
• Charles P. Weech

Associate Judge Martin Zopp.  Photo by Robin F. Pendergast, Inc.

Among the other information picked up at the annual fund raiser of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi was the impending retirement of Associated Judge Martin Zopp.

Zopp, who lives in Crystal Lake, worked longer than his wife Marilyn, who is retired from McHenry County College.

The Judge’s retirement will undoubtedly set off a frenzy of resume updating for attorneys who would like a good, steady income without having to worry about paying support staff and other office expenses.

The pay in 2010 was about $165,000 a year.

A replacement will be selected by a vote of the elected Circuit Court Judges in the 22nd Juridical District:

• Michael T. Caldwell
• Michael J. Chmiel
• Joseph P. Condon
• Gordon E. Graham
• Maureen P. McIntyre
• Sharon Prather
• Michael J. Sullivan
• Charles P. Weech

Charles Weech

A press release from the McHenry County Circuit Court:

Twenty Second Judicial Circuit of McHenry County Announces Mental Health Court Graduation Ceremony

The 22nd Judicial Circuit of McHenry County Mental Health Court will host its 7th Graduation Ceremony on Tuesday, July 24th at 6:30 p.m.

The ceremony is open to the public and will take place in Courtroom 204 at McHenry County Government Center.

Guests are required to use the Government Center’s East Entrance.

The ceremony includes

• a presentation by Michelle Rock, Director of the Illinois Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health and Justice and
• the presentation of Graduation Certificates by Mental Health Court Circuit Judge, Honorable Charles P. Weech.

The MHC is a voluntary program designed to serve defendants who are struggling with mental illness and are currently involved in the criminal justice system of McHenry County. In lieu of traditional punishment, the MHC diverts defendants with diagnosed mental illness away from the criminal justice system by offering alternatives including; intensive judicial oversight, community supervision and treatment.

The goals of the MHC are to reduce recidivism and promote self-sufficiency by offering community based treatment alternatives to incarceration.

The 7th Graduation ceremony will be a time of celebration and reflection for six (6) program graduates who have worked extremely hard to improve their lives and we commend them for their efforts.

This brings the program’s graduation total to 41 individuals since its inception in April of 2007.

The MHC is extremely proud to say that the program has a post graduation recidivism rate of less than 10%!

The MHC would not be possible without

• the McHenry County Board,
• Twenty Second Judicial Circuit Office of Court Administration,
• McHenry County Court and Probation Services,
• McHenry County Mental Health Board, McHenry County Department of Health,
• McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office,
• McHenry County Public Defender’s Office,
• McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and
• various community based mental health service providers.

For questions pertaining to the Mental Health Court, please contact Scott Block at 815-334-4913.

A press release from the McHenry County Circuit Court:

Twenty Second Judicial Circuit of McHenry County Judgeship Appointment

Joe Condon

WOODSTOCK, IL – The Twenty Second Judicial Circuit of McHenry County is very pleased to announce that effective December 3, 2012, the Honorable Michael W. Feetterer, Associate Judge of the Twenty Second Judicial Circuit, is appointed Circuit Judge of the Twenty Second Judicial Circuit, Second Subcircuit, to the position currently held by the Honorable Joseph P. Condon, who is retiring from judicial office on December 2, 2012.

The recipient of a degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago, Judge Michael W. Feetterer attended DePaul University College of Law on a scholarship for undergraduate academic excellence.

Shortly after completing his Juris Doctor in 1990, he joined Diamond, LeSueur, Roth & Feetterer, P.C., as a civil and criminal litigator. Serving as a partner at the firm, Michael Feetterer prosecuted cases for several municipalities in Northeastern Illinois, including

• Port Barrington and
• Island Lake

From 1997 to 2004, Judge Michael W. Feetterer practiced privately in McHenry, serving clients in matters of criminal, civil, family, and real estate law.

During this time, he also served as a Municipal Attorney for the villages of

• Spring Grove
• Richmond
• McCullom Lake

and as a Local Prosecutor for several other communities.

Since being appointed to the Twenty Second Circuit as an associate judge in September of 2004, Judge Feetterer has served in the Family Division and currently serves as the special assignment judge hearing all different case types.

Most recently, Judge Feetterer was selected as the presiding judge of the McHenry County Drug Court program established in December 2011.

In overseeing the McHenry County Drug Court, Judge Feetterer focuses on reducing recidivism rates among nonviolent substance abuse offenders and helping increase the success of rehabilitation for this population through judicially supervised treatments and other approaches.

Judge Feetterer is highly respected in the legal community and in 2007 had the highest retention rating, as scored by local attorneys, than any other associate judge in the State of Illinois.

Judge Feetterer possesses the outstanding qualities necessary for any judge-

• fairness,
• judicial temperament
• experience

In 2008, Judge Feetterer founded a local charity which raises funding and organized outreach initiatives for ovarian cancer treatment and education. During his non-working hours, Judge Michael Feetterer enjoys spending time with his children and fiancée, and playing golf and chess.

The seal of the 22nd District Circuit Court.

A press release from the McHenry County Circuit Court:

New Arbitration Center for the Twenty Second Circuit

WOODSTOCK, IL – The Twenty Second Judicial Circuit of McHenry County has a new Arbitration Center located at 666 Russel Court, Suite 309 in Woodstock. The telephone number to the new McHenry County Arbitration Center is 815-337-0582.

In early August, 2011, the Twenty Second Judicial Circuit of McHenry County and the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit of Lake County submitted a joint request to the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, requesting an arbitration administrator for the Twenty Second Judicial Circuit.

Prior to this request, the Nineteenth and Twenty Second Judicial Circuit shared an arbitration administrator, which traveled between the two circuits.

On October 24, 2011 Alison E. Lowery was selected as the arbitration administrator for the Twenty Second Judicial Circuit.

Due to space limitations within the McHenry County Government Center and the desire to expand the arbitration program and enhance case management, it was necessary to acquire the necessary facilities outside of the Government Center.

All funding for the McHenry County Arbitration Center comes from the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.

The McHenry County General Fund does not financially support the arbitration program.

Arbitration is mandatory for civil cases seeking money damages between $10,000-$50,000.

Cases eligible for arbitration proceed in court along an expedited track, with an arbitration hearing date four to six months from the date the case is filed.

A panel of three arbitrators conducts the arbitration hearing.

Arbitrators are selected on a random, rotating basis from a list of retired judges or attorneys who have attended training.

The arbitration panel conducts a hearing, allowing the parties to present all facts, evidence, and law, before rendering an award.

The arbitration award is not binding for thirty days, during which time any party present at the arbitration hearing may “reject” the award, pay a rejection fee, and then proceed to a trial before a judge or jury.

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The new arbitration center is located at 666 Russel Court in Woodstock, suite 309. This is the 3 story office building adjacent to Government Center.
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“The mission of the 22nd Judicial Circuit of McHenry County is to be the guardian of life, liberty and property to all seeking access to justice, by adhering to practices that ensure equality, fairness and confidence in the judiciary”