Chief Circuit Judge Mitchell Shick of Charleston today announced the appointment of City of Danville Corporation Counsel Charles D. Mockbee, IV as an associate judge for the 5th Judicial Circuit. The 5th Circuit encompasses five counties: Clark, Coles, Cumberland, Edgar, and Vermilion. The new associate judge will primarily be assigned to Danville. He is expected to take office on December 18, 2020.
During August of this year, in response in part to the case backlog caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Judge Shick requested that the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts authorize the filling of an associate judge position which had gone unfilled for a number of years. The Administrative Office gave its authorization and fourteen attorneys applied. Mockbee was elected by vote of the Circuit’s twelve circuit judges.
Responding to the appointment, Vermilion County Presiding Judge Thomas O’Shaughnessy said, “Mr. Mockbee has demonstrated the depth and breadth of legal knowledge, ability, and experience to have a successful judicial career. He has served the people of Vermilion County as an Assistant State’s Attorney, in private practice, and as Danville’s attorney, and has earned the opportunity to serve as an associate judge. He has consistently adhered to high ethical standards, and has a reputation for honesty, diligence, and fairness. He is thorough, prepared, pragmatic, patient, and courteous. He will be a good fit for our judicial team in Vermilion County. We congratulate him and welcome him to the Bench.”
Mockbee is a graduate of Bismarck-Henning High School and attended Danville Area Community College before earning his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, where he served on the Law Journal’s Board of Editors.
Mockbee has been active in community civic and social service organizations. He has taught criminal law at DACC, is a member and past president of the Bismarck Lions Club, a past member and president of the Danville Bell Credit Union Board, a past member of the Danville Library Foundation Board, and a past member of the Downtown Danville Board. He has volunteered for Peer Court, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and the Salvation Army. He is a member of the Vermilion County (past president) and Illinois State Bar Associations.
Mockbee and his wife, Rebecca, have one child.
