Justice David Overstreet of Mt. Vernon has announced his intention to seek election to the Fifth District Appellate Court.
“I was assigned by Chief Justice Lloyd Karmeier and the Illinois Supreme Court to serve on the Appellate Court in February of this year after serving nearly ten years as a Circuit Judge,” Overstreet stated. “Recently, a vacancy was announced for an elected seat on the Appellate Court, and I have decided to run for this seat in the Republican primary in March 2018. I ask for your support in both the primary and general elections next year.”
Overstreet received his Bachelor of Science degree from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, and his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He practiced law in Monticello, Illinois, and Knoxville, Tennessee, before joining what eventually became Neubauer & Overstreet, P.C. in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, until his appointment to the Circuit Court.
Overstreet successfully ran for election to the circuit court in 2008 and was retained in 2014. He was assigned to the Fifth District Appellate Court in 2017. Overstreet currently serves on the Supreme Court Judicial Mentoring Committee, the Supreme Court Strategic Planning Committee, the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Education, and the Illinois Judges Association executive committee in addition to serving as chair of the Second Judicial Circuit’s professionalism committee and program administrator for its lawyer-to-lawyer mentoring program.
Chairing Overstreet’s campaign for the Appellate Court is former State Senator David Luechtefeld of Okawville. “Since my involvement in the campaign of Chief Justice Karmeier, I have become much more familiar with the importance of the judiciary, at every level. While we understand how important the U.S. Supreme Court is, the cases that matter to us are heard right here in local state courts. I know David Overstreet will be a conscientious member of the Appellate Court, because he is the type of individual who will be fair and that we can be proud of,” said Luechtefeld.
“I am honored that Senator Luechtefeld agreed to serve as my chairman,” Overstreet noted. “He is a leader who understands the value of hard work and perseverance. I strive to bring those values to the bench and the campaign.”
In his community, Overstreet serves as a member of the Mt. Vernon Rotary Club, as president of Mentors for Kids, Inc., advisor with the Mt. Vernon Township High School YMCA Youth and Government program, tutor at the Mt. Vernon Primary Center, and has coached various youth sports for the past 15 years.
“While I cannot discuss political issues as a judicial candidate, I hope that by serving as a judge that I bring my background and involvement to issues that come before me,” Overstreet said. “I know that I always try to see both sides and make judgments that are fair, impartial, and faithful to the law.”
Justice Overstreet and his wife Suzanne have three children. They attend Mt. Vernon Church of Christ, where he serves as a deacon.
The 5th Appellate District is comprised of 37 counties in central and southern Illinois.
