Judgeship needs to be filled immediately

To the editor:

This is an open letter from the Danville Bar Association to the General Assembly.

The General Assembly was put on notice over a year ago regarding the impending vacancy that would be created when the Honorable Judge Adams retired. It has been around six weeks since Judge Adams retired, and the seat remains vacant. Due to this vacancy, the General District Court seat has seen a revolving door of judges. This not only creates a roadblock for attorneys to provide well-informed and adequate representation for their clients, but it also poses a great injustice to the residents of Danville.

The General Assembly is, quite frankly, neglecting the residents of Danville by not acting to immediately fill the open position. Residents of Danville should not have to wait until other potential judge seats are filled before the General Assembly focuses on filling the already existing vacant judge seat here in Danville. We urge the General Assembly to act quickly and fill the vacant judge seat for the Danville District Court during this Legislative session. We, the Danville Bar, have already unanimously endorsed a judicial candidate as highly qualified to immediately fill this vacant judge seat. This endorsement is especially significant and should be regarded as such because in the view of people who practice law in Danville every day, we have chosen the person we believe is best qualified to take the seat of the people’s court and dispense justice the largest cross-section of Danville’s community.

We, as the Danville Bar Association, feel very strongly about the need to fill this vacancy as soon as possible. The Danville Bar has already fulfilled its role and put forth a highly qualified candidate to fill the vacant judge seat in the Danville General District Court. It is now up to the General Assembly to fulfill its obligation not only to Danville and its residents, but also to the rule of law. We again urge the General Assembly to fill this vacancy during this legislative session. Thank you.

Yerisbel Jimenez, esq.

President, Danville Bar Association