Appellate Justice David Overstreet of Mt. Vernon has announced his intention to seek election to the Illinois Supreme Court in 2020. The vacancy was created by Justice Lloyd Karmeier’s recent announcement of his retirement next year. Overstreet is seeking to represent the Fifth District on the Supreme Court.
“I first want to thank Justice Karmeier for his service the last 15 years on the Illinois Supreme Court. He has had a dramatic effect on the courts statewide through his service as Chief Justice the last three years. It will be a huge honor to serve the Fifth District after him,” stated Overstreet. “I have decided to run for this seat in the Republican primary in March 2020. 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 by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Fifth District Appellate Court in 2017 and then won election to the Appellate Court in 2018. Overstreet currently serves on the Illinois Judicial Conference, the Illinois Judicial College, the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Education, the Supreme Court Judicial Mentoring Committee, as co-chair of the Family Law track at the 2020 Judicial Education Conference, and as Secretary of the Illinois Judges Association. He has served as the Presiding Justice of the Fifth District Appellate Court since December 2018 with his term ending December 2019. Overstreet is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Jefferson County Bar Association, and the Southern Illinois American Inn of Court.
Co-chairing Overstreet’s campaign for the Illinois Supreme Court are former State Senator David Luechtefeld of Okawville and Jennifer Wham Price of Centralia. “I was pleased to assist Justice Overstreet with his 2018 election to the Appellate Court and know that he will make an excellent Supreme Court justice,” Luechtefeld said. Price added, “As an attorney, I know firsthand the importance of the judiciary. I have appeared before Justice Overstreet on many occasions and am proud to support him for the Supreme Court. I know that he is fair, trustworthy, and honorable.”
“I am honored that Jennifer and Dave have agreed to serve as my co-chairs,” Overstreet noted. “I know the Fifth District is large and has different needs from the St. Louis region to counties in central and eastern Illinois and in deep Southern Illinois. I have been there and will visit all of them again.”
In his community, Overstreet serves as an advisor of the Mt. Vernon Township High School Youth and Government program, a member of the Mt. Vernon Rotary Club, board member of Lifeboat Alliance (a homeless shelter in Mt. Vernon), assists with Boy Scout Troop 103, and is a long-time coach of youth sports in Mt. Vernon and youth camp counselor in Southern Illinois.
“While I cannot discuss political issues as a judicial candidate, I have always tried to make judgments that are fair, impartial, and faithful to the law,” Overstreet said. “I believe my experience in private practice, on the circuit court hearing cases of all kinds, and on the appellate court give me a well-rounded background in the law to be able to serve on the Supreme Court.”
Justice Overstreet and his wife Suzanne have three children. They attend Mt. Vernon Church of Christ, where he serves as a deacon.
In his campaign for the Appellate Court in 2018, Justice Overstreet was rated “Highly Qualified” by the Illinois State Bar Association Judicial Evaluations Committee. The Fifth District is comprised of the southernmost 37 counties in Illinois.
