After 30 years of service on the Illinois Appellate Court, Third District, Justice Tom M. Lytton has announced that he is retiring effective July 1, 2022.  The Illinois Supreme Court has appointed Judge Joseph P. Hettel of the circuit court for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit to fill the vacancy left by Justice Lytton's retirement.

Justice Lytton was first elected to the appellate court in 1992 and was retained by voters in 2002 and 2012.  Before joining the bench, Justice Lytton was a partner at the firm of Lytton, Lytton & Sutton for nearly 20 years and also served as a special Assistant Attorney General for the Illinois Office of the Attorney General.

Justice Lytton earned his Bachelor of Arts and his Juris Doctor from Northwestern University.  He also received a degree from the International School of Law in The Hague, Netherlands.  In 2018, he was honored by the Jewish Judges Association as the recipient of the Hon. Richard J.
Elrod Public Services Award.

Judge Hettel has served in the Thirteenth Circuit since being appointed to the bench in 2006.  He was retained by voters in 2014 and 2020.  Before his service on the bench, Judge Hettel worked in private practice and served for six years as LaSalle County’s State’s Attorney.  He earned his Juris Doctor from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

The Illinois Supreme Court's full announcement may be found here.