High court OKs new judicial post for McHenry County

McHenry County lost its battle with state legislators last year to win two new judge's posts, but it finally may have won the war.

The county's 22nd Judicial Circuit announced Tuesday that the Illinois Supreme Court agreed to create for the circuit another associate judge's post, bringing to 16 the number of judges serving the county.

That is the number local officials were seeking last year when they tried unsuccessfully to block legislators from eliminating one of two circuit judgeships McHenry County was expecting when it became its own judicial circuit in December.

Chief Judge Michael Sullivan said the new position will provide much-needed help to judges dealing with caseloads that are growing right along with the county's population.

"There's been a fairly significant increase in our caseloads just this year," he said. "We have one of the highest per-judge caseloads in the state."

Sullivan said he has not yet determined whether he will assign the new judge to a criminal or civil courtroom. He plans to use the three- to four-month application process to make that decision.

"We've had quite a bit of growth in all our areas," he said. "It's a matter of balancing where we most need the help."