Chief Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced that Circuit Judge David K. Overstreet of the Second Judicial Circuit has been assigned as an Appellate Court Justice in the Fifth District Appellate Court.
Judge Overstreet was assigned to fill the vacancy created when Justice James R. Moore, who previously held the assignment, was elected to the Fifth District Appellate Court in the November 2016 general election.
The assignment of Judge Overstreet takes effect on February 27, 2017, and will remain in effect until further order of the court.
“I thank Chief Justice Karmeier and the Illinois Supreme Court for entrusting me to serve on assignment as an appellate judge in the Fifth Appellate District,” Judge Overstreet said. “It has been an honor to serve the public as a circuit judge in the Second Judicial Circuit for the past almost 10 years. I look forward to the challenge of serving the public on the Appellate Court and I am humbled by this wonderful opportunity.”
Judge Overstreet has served on the bench since 2007 when he was unanimously appointed by the Supreme Court as a Circuit Judge in the Second Judicial District. He was subsequently elected to the position in 2008 and retained by voters in 2014. Prior to his judicial career, Judge Overstreet served as a partner at the Mt. Vernon law firm Neubauer & Overstreet.
“Throughout his nearly ten-year tenure on the bench, Judge Overstreet has exhibited precisely the type of temperament, wisdom and strong work ethic we hope all our judges will demonstrate,” Chief Justice Karmeier noted. “He has done an outstanding job on the circuit bench. As the Supreme Court’s unanimous assignment order reflects, the Court has every confidence that he will continue to distinguish himself as a member of the appellate court.”
Judge Overstreet currently serves on the Supreme Court Judicial Mentoring Committee and the Illinois Judges Association executive committee in addition to serving as the Chair of the Second Judicial Circuit’s professionalism committee and program administrator for its lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring program. He also serves as an adviser to the YMCA Illinois Youth and Government program. Judge Overstreet previously served on the Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Justice from 2009 to 2015, on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Judges Association from 2010 to 2016, and as President of the Jefferson County Bar Association.
He earned a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from David Lipscomb University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Tennessee College of Law. His charitable activities include serving on the Board of Directors of Mentors 4 Kids in addition to coaching a variety of youth sports teams in Jefferson County.
The Fifth Judicial District is composed of 37 counties in the southernmost part of Illinois, including: Alexander, Bond, Christian, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Franklin, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Massac, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pope, Pulaski, Randolph, Richland, Saline, Shelby, St. Clair, Wabash, Wayne, Washington, White, Williamson, and Union.
