An Associate Judge in the local Fifth Circuit has announced that he is running as a Republican candidate for an elected judicial post on next year’s ballot.
Brian Bower, who is from Coles County, is running to replace Circuit Judge James Glenn, who announced his retirement from the bench last week after 23 years in office.
Bower was appointed to the bench in 2019 and mostly hears cases in Coles County. He previously served six years as the Coles County State’s Attorney, from 2012 until 2018. He lives in Charleston.
Judge Glenn’s seat on the bench is an at-large position, meaning he was originally elected from all of the counties in the Fifth Circuit, including Vermilion County. There are currently four at-large Circuit Judges on the bench throughout the circuit, with the rest either being elected resident judges or appointed ones. The primary election will be held in June of 2022, with the general election being in November.
