DuPage judge's appellate run canceled

Less than two months after announcing his appellate court bid, DuPage Circuit Judge Kenneth Popejoy said a recent high court decision left him without a race to run.

Popejoy hoped to fill the seat of retiring Second District Appellate Justice John Bowman, who at 79 was mandated to step down because of a state law setting a judicial age limit.

But on June 18, a divided Illinois Supreme Court ruled the law unconstitutional. The court, in a 4-to-2 vote with Justice Bob Thomas not participating, ruled the law denied equal protection to older judges.

Afterward, Bowman opted to seek another 10-year retention.

There still are two open court seats up for grabs, but Popejoy said he earlier promised candidates in those races he would not challenge them. The 58-year-old Wheaton man said he terminated all his 2010 campaign operations and plans to return the $100,000 in contributions he raised during three fundraising events.

The Second District Appellate Court, based in Elgin, encompasses 13 counties in northern Illinois, including DuPage, Kane, Kendall, McHenry and Lake.