The Illinois Supreme Court announced the appointment of the Honorable James Hackett to the Fifth District Appellate Court to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Justice Welch. 

Judge Hackett was first selected as an Associate Judge for the Third Judicial Circuit in Madison County in 1995 and served four successive 4-year terms. In 2013, he was appointed as a Circuit Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit before retiring from the bench to return to private practice in 2014. In addition to a long career in private practice, his previous experience includes serving as city attorney for the City of Edwardsville and as special public defender for Madison County.

You can read more about the announcement on the Illinois Courts website.