Gene Gross Sworn in as Associate Judge in 20th Circuit

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Gene Gross' mother, Lois, was all about the court system, about fairness and justice and due process, having served for 20 years under the late Perry County Circuit Clerk Robert Phipps as well as Judges Robert Bastien and Robert Gandy.

"I wish she could have been here," Gross said only hours before being sworn in as the newest associate judge of the 20th District in Illinois.

She was.

Gene's wife, Patricia, held Lois' Bible in her hands as husband Gene took the office before Illinois Supreme Court Justice e Lloyd Karmeier in the Perry County Courthouse at 2 p.m. on Friday.

At their side were a total of 11 judges from the 20th circuit. They filled the courtroom's jury box. The 20th Judicial Circuit will be featured on Tuesday as a follow-up to this story.

Longtime friend and Perry County Circuit Judge James Campanella stood at Gene's side as he joined other judges of the circuit.

A thoughtful Judge Campanella would normally administer the oath of office, but instead yielded to Supreme Court Justice Karmeier, who worked alongside Gene as a young attorney in the law offices of Hohlt, House, DeMoss & Johnson on North Division Street in Du Quoin.

The office was only a half-block from his law offices of Reed, Heller, Mansfield & Gross at the corner of East Main Street and North Division Street in downtown Du Quoin.

While Gene remains an owner of suite of offices which house the law firm, the firm itself reverts to Reed, Heller & Mansfield as Gene turns his own cases over to partners in the firm.

The 20th judicial circuit is made up of sitting judges which serve in Perry, Washington, Randolph, Monroe and St. Clair counties. Judge Campanella is the sitting judge in Perry County. There are another six judges at-large who all come from St. Clair county.

Their first term is for six years, then they face a retention vote.

Associates are appointed by a vote of the circuit judges. Gene fills the position of Judge Brown, who filed to fill the vacancy of Circuit Judge Schuwerk at his retirement. Because there was no opposition, Judge Brown was automatically appointed, thus leaving the associate's vacancy in Randolph County.

While Gene's office will be located in the Randolph County Courthouse, he will and can serve the courts in all five counties.

After serving the Hohlt, House, DeMoss and Johnson law firm, he was elected to two terms as Perry County State's Attorney, then was a partner of the Reed, Heller, Mansfield & Gross firm.

He married his assistant State's Attorney at the time, Patricia Ancell, who shoulders a substantial role as chief public defense counsel in Jackson County, who staff includes five attorneys.

The family's talents extend to daughter Zoe, who plans to enter law; daughter Katherine who has a masters degree from U of I in psychology; and Abby, a graduate of SIU who majored in fashion merchandising.

Gene commands a keen sense of fair play and a respect for history and historic preservation. That respect extends to the judicial system of which he is now a part.

That work begins today.