(a)On December 3, 2012, the 16th judicial circuit is divided into the 16th and 23rd judicial circuits as provided in Section 1 of the Circuit Courts Act. This division does not invalidate any action taken by the 16th judicial circuit or any of its judges, officers, employees, or agents before December 3, 2012. This division does not affect any person's rights, obligations, or duties, including applicable civil and criminal penalties, arising out of any action taken by the 16th judicial circuit or any of its judges, officers, employees, or agents before December 3, 2012.
(b)The 16th circuit shall have one additional resident judgeship to be allotted by the Supreme Court under subsection (d). The additional resident judgeship shall be filled by election beginning at the 2012 general electi
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(a) On December 3, 2012, the 16th judicial circuit is divided into the 16th and 23rd judicial circuits as provided in Section 1 of the Circuit Courts Act. This division does not invalidate any action taken by the 16th judicial circuit or any of its judges, officers, employees, or agents before December 3, 2012. This division does not affect any person's rights, obligations, or duties, including applicable civil and criminal penalties, arising out of any action taken by the 16th judicial circuit or any of its judges, officers, employees, or agents before December 3, 2012. (b) The 16th circuit shall have one additional resident judgeship to be allotted by the Supreme Court under subsection (d). The additional resident judgeship shall be filled by election beginning at the 2012 general election. (c) The 16th circuit shall have an additional resident judgeship from Kendall County to be allotted by the Supreme Court. The additional judgeship shall be filled by election beginning at the 2012 general election. This judgeship shall become a resident judgeship from Kendall County in the 23rd circuit on December 3, 2012. (d) The Supreme Court shall allot: (i) all vacancies in at large judgeships or resident judgeships from the County of Kane of the 16th circuit occurring after the 2012 general election, excluding the vacancy in subsection (e); and (ii) the one resident judgeship added by subsection (b), for election from the various subcircuits until there are 2 resident judges to be elected from each subcircuit. The additional resident judgeship added by subsection (b) that shall be filled by election beginning at the 2012 general election shall be assigned to subcircuit 2 for election. The Supreme Court may fill the judgeship by appointment prior to the 2012 general election. The vacancies allotted by the Supreme Court under this subsection shall become resident judgeships of the 16th circuit to be assigned to the 3rd, 1st, and 4th subcircuits in that order. Subcircuit judgeships in the 3rd, 1st, and 4th subcircuits shall be filled by election as vacancies occur. No resident judge of the 16th circuit serving on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly shall be required to change his or her residency in order to continue serving in office or to seek retention in office as resident judgeships are allotted by the Supreme Court in accordance with this Section. As used in this subsection, a vacancy does not include the expiration of a term of an at large judge or of a resident judge who intends to seek retention in that office at the next term. (e) The Supreme Court shall assign to the 16th circuit the 7 circuit judgeships elected at large in the 16th circuit before and at the 2012 general election. The 3 resident judgeships elected from Kane County before the 2012 general election shall become at large circuit judgeships on December 3, 2012. An individual seeking election to one of the 7 judgeships at large or a judge seeking retention to one of the 7 judgeships at large at the 2012 general election shall seek election or retention solely within the boundaries of Kane County. The 7 circuit judgeships assigned to the 16th circuit shall continue to be elected at large, and the 3 resident judges shall be elected at large at the first general election following the expiration of a term of office. Of the 7 circuit judgeships elected at large as of April 15, 2011, and the 3 resident judgeships elected from Kane County before the general election of 2012 converting to at large judgeships on December 3, 2012, the first vacancy occurring after December 3, 2012 shall be assigned to the 23rd circuit as a Kendall County resident judge. As used in this subsection, a vacancy does not include the expiration of a term of an at large judge or of a resident judge who intends to seek retention in that office at the next term. (f) The 3 resident judgeships elected from DeKalb County before the 2012 general election shall become resident judgeships from DeKalb County in the 23rd circuit on December 3, 2012, and the 2 resident judgeships elected from Kendall County before the 2012 general election shall become resident judgeships from Kendall County in the 23rd circuit on December 3, 2012. (g) The 4 subcircuit judgeships of the 16th circuit elected as of April 15, 2011, shall become the 4 subcircuit judgeships of the 16th circuit as established in Section 2f-9. The remaining unfilled subcircuit judgeship of the 16th circuit as of April 15, 2011 shall be eliminated. If the judgeship of the 5th subcircuit of the 16th circuit is filled prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly, that judgeship shall be eliminated on December 3, 2012. (h) On December 3, 2012, the Supreme Court shall allocate the associate judgeships of the 16th circuit before that date between the 16th and 23rd circuits. The number of associate judges allocated to the 23rd circuit shall be no less than 5. (i) On December 3, 2012, the Supreme Court shall allocate personnel, books, records, documents, property (real and personal), funds, assets, liabilities, and pending matters concerning the 16th circuit before that date between the 16th and 23rd circuits based on the population and staffing needs of those circuits and the efficient and proper administration of the judicial system. The rights of employees under applicable collective bargaining agreements are not affected by this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly. (j) The judgeships set forth in this Section include the judgeships authorized under Sections 2g, 2h, 2j, 2k, 2m, and 2n. The judgeships authorized in those Sections are not in addition to those set forth in this Section. (k) Of the 23rd circuit's associate judgeships, the first associate judgeship that is or becomes vacant on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly shall become a resident judgeship from DeKalb County in the 23rd circuit. The additional resident judgeship shall be filled by election beginning at the 2016 general election. The Supreme Court may fill the judgeship by appointment prior to the 2016 general election. As used in this subsection, a vacancy does not include the expiration of a term of a resident judge who seeks retention in that office at the next term. A vacancy does not exist or occur at the expiration of an associate judge's term if the associate judge is reappointed. A vacancy exists or occurs when an associate judge dies, resigns, retires, is removed, or is not reappointed upon expiration of his or her term, or when a new judgeship is authorized under subsection (a) of Section 2 of the Associate Judges Act but is not filled.