The Illinois Fourth Judicial Circuit has announced the election of Martin W. Siemer, Circuit Judge At Large from Effingham County, as the new Chief Judge for the circuit. Judge Siemer, whose three-year term will commence on July 1, 2024, was recently selected by unanimous vote of the Fourth Circuit’s elected circuit judges. He will replace current Chief Judge Douglas L. Jarman, who opted against seeking another term as Chief Judge.
The Illinois Fourth Judicial Circuit, one of 25 Illinois judicial circuits, is comprised of nine counties (Christian, Clay, Clinton, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Marion, Montgomery and Shelby), is populated by more than 235,000 citizens and is one of the largest circuits in the state by geographic size. Although the Fourth Judicial Circuit is a unified circuit, all nine counties of the circuit have separate courthouses, and court is held in each county.
The Chief Judge of the circuit, among other responsibilities, has general administrative authority over the courts in the Fourth Circuit and assigns the judges within the circuit. There are nineteen judges serving the Fourth Circuit — twelve elected circuit judges and seven appointed associate judges. Each of the judges of the Fourth Circuit may preside over cases in any of the nine counties and are assigned from time to time by order of the Chief Judge. The Chief Judge, whose office is situated in the Fayette County Courthouse in Vandalia, is assisted by an administrative staff consisting of a trial court administrator and court reporter supervisor.
Judge Siemer was first elected as a Circuit Judge in 2014 and was retained in 2020 for a second six-year term. Before assuming the bench in 2014, Judge Siemer spent 20 years in private practice with offices in Effingham and Casey, Illinois. Throughout his career, Judge Siemer has been active in various professional and community organizations, including the Illinois Supreme Court’s Committee on Judicial Education, the Illinois State Bar Association (serving on its Elder Law Section Council and Standing Committee on Continuing Legal Education), the Illinois Judges Association, the Teutopolis Community Unit School District No. 50 Board of Education, the Teutopolis Educational Foundation, the Teutopolis Knights of Columbus and the Teutopolis Civic Club. He has been a speaker for ISBA’s Elder Law Boot Camp, the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Elder Law Short Course and the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association’s Annual Conference, and he is scheduled to teach at the upcoming Illinois Judicial College’s New Judge Orientation. Siemer was the 2022 recipient of the Illinois Probation and Court Services Association Exemplary Service Award.
Siemer and his wife of 30 years reside in Teutopolis. They are the parents of four children.
On Judge Siemer’s recent election, current Chief Judge Douglas L. Jarman, who has served since January 1, 2021, commented, “Judge Siemer is respected in the Fourth Circuit. He is an effective judge and a proven leader who will continue to guide the Fourth Judicial Circuit’s criminal and civil justice system with excellence”.
Judge Siemer added, “I am humbled to be trusted with this responsibility by my fellow judges, and I look forward to serving as Chief Judge. I have great respect for the judicial system and my colleagues, both current and retired. Chief Judge Jarman has set a high standard to follow.”
