The Fourth District Appellate Court has a new justice. The fourth district encompasses 41 counties in West Central Illinois, including the entire listening area.
Judge Eugene G. Doherty of the 17th Circuit Court, which covers Boone and Winnebago Counties, was named to the seat by the Illinois Supreme Court yesterday. Doherty fills the vacancy left by Justice Lisa Holder White.
White was named to the Illinois Supreme Court last month after the retirement of Judge Rita B. Garman last month.
Doherty’s assignment is effective July 14th and will expire on December 2, 2024. He will be officially sworn in and installed on Thursday. White says her successor will serve the people of the Fourth Appellate District well: “Judge Doherty is an accomplished jurist who has proven himself to be a leader among his peers.”
Doherty has served on the bench in the 17th Circuit since 2007. He won election in 2008, was retained by voters in 2014 and 2020 and served as Chief Judge of the 17th Circuit from 2018 to 2021.
Prior to joining the bench, Judge Doherty worked for 16 years as an attorney for Holmstrom & Kennedy, P.C. in Rockford. He had previously served as a Law Clerk for Second District Appellate Court Justice Philip G. Reinhard from 1989-1991. Doherty began his political career in 1986, serving two years as an assistant to Congresswoman Lynn Martin. Doherty earned his juris doctor in 1989 from Northern Illinois University.