MORRISON – Whiteside County Public Defender William S. McNeal will be the 14th Judicial Circuit Court’s newest associate judge, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts announced Wednesday in a news release.
The 12 judges of the 14th Circuit Court, including Whiteside County Circuit Court Judges John Hauptman and Stanley Steines, voted to appoint McNeal.
Votes are secret, but he must have obtained at least 7 to win the appointment.
McNeal was busy readying for the holiday break and did not respond to an e-mail late Wednesday afternoon seeking more information.
The 14th serves Whiteside, Henry, Mercer and Rock Island counties.
McNeal, 51, of Morrison, is replacing Rock Island attorney and Associate Judge Frank R. Fuhr.
Fuhr was elected 14th Circuit Court judge in November and took office Dec. 4, Hauptman said.
McNeal will be one of the court’s nine associate judges.
In Whiteside County, associate judges tend to hear misdemeanor, traffic and small claims cases, although they are able to handle all kinds, Hauptman said.
To avoid any conflicts with his current cases, NcNeal mostly will be serving in Rock Island County, at least at first, Hauptman said. He will be sworn in next week.
The county is advertising for a new head public defender, who will oversee the four assistant public defenders.
McNeal received his undergraduate degree in 1980 from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., and his juris doctor degree in 1983 from John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Administrative Office Director Cynthia Y. Cobbs said in the release.