SHELBYVILLE, IL. —
Fayette County State’s Attorney Stephen Friedel has announced his candidacy for Shelby County Resident Circuit Judge, seeking to replace retiring Judge Michael Kiley.
Friedel, a career criminal prosecutor, has prosecuted in three counties; Coles, Shelby and Fayette. “I started as a traffic assistant in Coles County and was there for a few months before being hired in Shelby County as the Assistant State’s Attorney. Bob [Broverman] gave me a lot of responsibility and I worked hard gaining experience in the four years I was in Shelby,” says Friedel. “Even though I was only 29 when first elected in Fayette County, my time in Shelby County prepared me well for running my own office.”
First elected in Fayette County in 2000, Friedel has been re-elected twice with his third term ending at the end of November of 2012.
Friedel says he was blessed to be a young attorney practicing before Judge Kiley. “I learned a lot in his courtroom on what it means to be a not only a good lawyer, but to be a good person. He has been a model of what it means to be a good judge in the courthouse and a good citizen in the community. Judge Kiley sponsored my membership into Rotary which is an organization committed to community service.” Friedel is an active member of the Vandalia Rotary Club and as an Eagle Scout, Friedel has also volunteered as a leader with the both the Boy Scouts and the Cub Scouts.
“I hope that my age is not mistaken for inexperience or lack of maturity. I am 41-years-old and started prosecuting felonies in my first year of practice, which is uncommon. I was one of the youngest State’s Attorneys in Illinois when I was first elected. I believe I was the 5th youngest of the 102 elected State’s Attorneys. As State’s Attorney, I was able to prove myself as aggressive and capable. I am very proud of my record and have been extremely tough on sexual predators, violent offenders and methamphetamine manufacturers.”
When compared to other State’s Attorney’s Offices in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, Friedel’s office is at or near the top in; number of felonies filed (based on county size), felony conviction rate, domestic battery conviction rate, and the number of jury trials held.
“We don’t sell our cases short for results that don’t bring justice. Plea agreements are fine, but if we can’t get a good result by plea, we aren’t afraid to try a case,” Friedel said.
At the end of his current term, Friedel will be the longest serving full-time State’s Attorney in Fayette County history.
“The one area that has been closest to my heart is how children are treated in the court system. In my opinion, children are too often not given the attention they deserve,” commented Friedel. “I have been a licensed foster parent and learned first-hand how vulnerable children are and how important it is to give them stability in their lives.”
The majority of cases a judge will preside over are criminal cases. In order for a county’s criminal justice system to work, it requires good law enforcement, a good prosecutor and a good judge, says Friedel, adding, if any of those links are weak, justice is hard to achieve.
A good temperament, integrity, compassion, fairness, courage, integrity, and ethics are all qualities a judge should possess. It shouldn’t surprise voters that all candidates for office will claim to have
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