Schoenstedt Done As Chief Judge Of Will County

JOLIET, IL —Veteran Will County Chief Judge Richard Schoenstedt, who was just retained by the voters of Will County in the November elections, will not remain as chief judge of the 12th judicial circuit, court administrators informed Joliet Patch Tuesday afternoon.

A Republican officeholder, Schoenstedt has been chief judge of Will County since 2012. He became a circuit judge at the Will County Courthouse back in 2002.

Starting in January, Will County Circuit Judge Daniel Kennedy, who was also retained by the voters in November, will replace Schoenstedt as the new chief judge.

Kennedy is a Joliet resident, a Democrat and Kennedy has been on the bench since winning office in the 2014 elections.

In September, Joliet Patch produced an in-depth story revealing the ratings of the nine Will County judges who were up for retention in November's elections. Of the nine judges, Judge Kennedy, by far, had the highest rankings, Patch reported.

Seven years ago this month, Kennedy informed Patch that he was first running for Will County judge. At that time, Kennedy had practiced law in Joliet for 27 years, taking up the family profession that originated with his grandfather. He also spent 24 years as a part-time public defender and represented the numerous clients in his private practice, including the Housing Authority of Joliet and Forest Preserve District of Will County.