Robert L. Carter (Illinois judge)

Robert L. Carter is a Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court from the 3rd District. Carter was sworn in on December 8, 2020.[1]

Robert L. Carter
Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 8, 2020
Preceded by	Thomas L. Kilbride
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Nancy Rink Carter
Children	Two
Residence	Ottawa, Illinois
Alma mater	University of Illinois (A.B.) University of Illinois (J.D.) Sangamon State University (M.A.)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1969-1970

Education

Carter received both his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law, and his Master of Arts from Sangamon State University.[2]

Military service

From 1969-70, Carter served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War.[3]

State court service

Illinois circuit court service

The Illinois Supreme Court appointed Carter an associate judge for Illinois's 13th circuit for a term beginning July 2, 1979.[4] He was elected a circuit court judge in 1988 and became the chief judge in 1992.[2]

Illinois Appellate Court service

Carter was appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court upon the retirement of Tobias Barry for a term beginning September 1, 2006.[5] He was succeeded as resident circuit judge by then-State's Attorney Joseph P. Hettel.[6]

Illinois Supreme Court

In the 2020 general election, incumbent Justice Thomas L. Kilbride received approximately 56% of the vote in favor of his retention, which is less than the supermajority of 60% required by state law to be retained.[7] After Kilbride lost retention, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Carter as a placeholder until the 2022 general election. Carter's term begins December 6, 2020.[8]

References

1. White, Jesse (ed.). "Illinois Courts". Illinois Blue Book 2019-2020 (PDF). Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Secretary of State. p. 144. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
2. White, Jesse (ed.). "Judicial Branch". Illinois Blue Book 2019-2020 (PDF). p. 153. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2020.
3. "Biography of Robert L. Carter". Supreme Court of Illinois. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015.
4. Gherardini, Caroline (ed.). "Names: Judiciary". Illinois Issues. 5 (9): 31. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
5. Tybor, Joseph (August 9, 2006). "Tobias Barry Retires, And Supreme Court Assigns Judge Robert L. Carter to Appellate Bench" (PDF) (Press release). Springfield, Illinois: Illinois Supreme Court. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
6. "LaSalle County Board Meeting Minutes" (PDF). LaSalle County Board. December 4, 2006. p. 216. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
7. Nowicki, Jerry (November 3, 2020). "Thomas Kilbride falls short in battle for Supreme Court retention". Peoria Journal-Star. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
8. Mansur, Sarah (November 10, 2020). "Illinois Supreme Court names Democrat to replace Tom Kilbride". Pekin Daily Times. Retrieved November 27, 2020.