Metro East Sun

State Rep. Charlie Meier (R-Highland) is showing no sign of letting up in his crusade against a bill he feels is designed to pack the St. Clair circuit court system.

“There are larger counties that don’t have their own circuit judge,” Meier said during a House floor debate. “Are you setting a precedent that anyone that has more than 100,000 people are going to have their own circuit? By breaking this circuit you’re creating the smallest circuit in the state of Illinois You’re going to be creating extra cost, real estate taxes on all these residents because they’re going to have extra administrative workers. You’re raising real estate taxes for a political reason to have more Democratic judges in St. Clair County.”

Meier has long been an outspoken critic of Senate Bill 2406, insisting that it was created in secrecy and without input from those who may know best in terms of what impact the measure could have.

"I've talked to a lot of different judges, including Supreme Court judges," he said. "None of them knew this bill was coming. Isn't the judiciary a separate branch of government? Shouldn't they be allowed to make decisions?”

Meier thinks there’s a clear and obvious reason for that.

"It has nothing to do with making a better judicial system in the state of Illinois,” he said. “This is to pack the court in St. Clair County."

The measure proposed by Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Belleville) would extract Monroe, Washington, Randolph and Perry counties from the 20th Judicial Circuit and make St. Clair County a circuit unto itself.

“It’s a very bad bill that sets a precedent and we will have our taxes going up in all those counties,” Meier said.  

The change would take place in December 2022, following the general election.