Saturday, September 15, 2007
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Associate Judge Thomas Harris Jr. to run for Circuit Judge           Send a link to a friend

[September 15, 2007]  LINCOLN – Associate Circuit Judge Thomas Harris Jr., a Lincoln native,  has announced that he will be a candidate for Circuit Judge in the February 5, 2008 primary election.

Judge Harris will be running for the Circuit Judge vacancy created as a result of the recent announcement by Circuit Judge David L. Coogan that he will retire effective November 30, 2008. Coogan has held the Circuit Judge position for the last nine years and served as Associate Circuit Judge prior to being elected as Circuit Judge. “Logan County will deeply miss having Judge Coogan on the bench,” said Harris. “We have been extremely fortunate to have had a judge of his caliber in this courthouse. Judge Coogan treats people fairly and with respect, and he works hard. His will be large shoes to fill.”

Harris was appointed by the Judges of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Donald Behle. Prior to his appointment, Harris worked as an attorney in the Bloomington office of Jerome Mirza and Associates, Ltd. His extensive legal experience includes litigation in more than 50 counties in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Indiana. “My appointment to the bench served as an endorsement by all of the judges of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit and I hope to receive similar support from the voters in Logan County. I would consider it a great honor to serve the citizens of Logan County as their Circuit Judge,” Harris said.

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Harris began his legal career in the Lincoln law firm started by his great grandfather - Judge Thomas M. Harris - in 1921, and practiced with his father, Thomas M. Harris, Sr., and uncle, Homer B. Harris, Jr. He also worked as an assistant state’s attorney in Logan County under the State’s Attorney at the time, John W. Turner.

Judge Harris was selected earlier this year to serve as Associate Judge from a field of 14 attorneys who applied for the position. The selection process included a poll conducted by the Illinois State Bar Association asking attorneys from the five counties that make up the Eleventh Judicial Circuit to rate the judicial candidates. Harris was given a 100% rating for integrity and overall was deemed to meet or exceed acceptable standards for the office of judge by 95% of those polled.
After graduating from Lincoln Community High School, Harris graduated from the University of Illinois and the University of Colorado School of Law. He served as a board member of the Chester-East Lincoln School Board from 2004 until the time of his judicial appointment. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Bar Foundation and he has been a frequent lecturer at Illinois State Bar Association seminars. Harris, a life-long resident of Lincoln, and his wife, Regina, have three children.

[Text copied from file received from a press release]

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