Effingham Native Bovard Named 5th Circuit Chief Judge

Coles County Circuit Judge Mark E. Bovard has been elected as the 5th Judicial Circuit’s Chief Circuit Judge. The election occurred during the Circuit Judge Annual Meeting held December 10.

Bovard succeeds current Chief Judge Thomas M. O’Shaughnessy of Vermilion County, whose four-term term ends January 30, 2025.

The 5th Circuit encompasses five counties: Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Edgar, and Vermilion. Each of Illinois' 24 judicial circuits has a chief judge who, in addition to judicial responsibilities, has general supervisory authority over the administrative functions of the trial courts within the circuit.

Reacting to the news of his election, Bovard said “I am very grateful and humbled to have been chosen to serve as Chief Judge of the 5th Judicial Circuit. I have been fortunate to have worked under the exemplary leadership of our recent Chief Judges Millard Everhart, Craig DeArmond, Mitchell Shick, and Thomas O’Shaughnessy. I look forward to working with and representing the judges and court staff of our judicial circuit as well as the other chief judges throughout the state of Illinois.”

Bovard, originally from Effingham, earned his bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1994 and his law degree from Indiana University School of Law (Bloomington) in 1997. He practiced law with the Mattoon firm of Heller, Holmes & Associates for fifteen years. He was appointed as an associate judge in 2012 and then elected as a circuit judge in 2018 before being retained for another six-year term in this November’s general election.

Bovard resides in Mattoon with his wife, Catherine.

Judge O’Shaughnessy commented upon his term: “Serving as Chief Judge of the Circuit has been the highpoint of my judicial career. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to each of the judges and attorneys of the Circuit, the court staff and personnel, and all of our County Boards and elected and appointed officials and their staffs, all of whom manage, operate, and maintain our justice system, programs, and facilities. Each of them are integral members of a remarkable, accomplished, talented, and collegial team; a team which provides an extraordinary system of justice for the citizens of our five counties; a team which allows the judges of the Circuit to handle the legal issues before them in a fair, capable, organized, and effective manner, concerned with the equal dignity of every person, and giving everyone the right to be heard and a process they understand to be fair. It has been a privilege and honor to have worked with all of them.”