Justice Lisa Holder White and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Associate Judge Richard A. Zimmer as a Resident Circuit Judge for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, Rock Island County.
Judge Zimmer is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Linnea E. Thompson on June 30, 2025. Judge Zimmer’s appointment is effective July 1, 2025, and will conclude on December 7, 2026.
“Judge Zimmer has served with distinction as an integral part of the judicial system in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit,” Justice Holder White said. “His transition to Circuit Judge will provide stability and continued judicial excellence to the citizens seeking resolution of the myriad of issues that come before the court.”
Judge Zimmer has served as an Associate Judge in Rock Island County since being appointed in 2007. He is the longest tenured judges in the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit and has heard cases in all four counties of the Circuit. From 1993 to 2007 Judge Zimmer worked in private practice in East Moline and Rock Island. He began his career as an Assistant State’s Attorney in the Henry County State’s Attorney’s Office in 1989.
“I am deeply honored and humbled to be selected by Justice Holder White and the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as a Circuit Judge for the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, Rock Island County,” Judge Zimmer said. “I look forward to serving in this role for the next 17 months as the culmination of my legal and judicial careers.”
Judge Zimmer earned his Bachelor of Arts from Augustana College and earned his Juris Doctor from the Northern Illinois University College of Law. His professional affiliations include the Rock Island County Bar Association.