DeKalb State’s Attorney Ron Matekaitis was selected to serve as one of the judges in the 16th Judicial Circuit.

Kurt Klein, presiding circuit court judge, said Matekaitis was one of 42 candidates who put their name in for the seat vacated by retiring judge Bill Weir.

“I’m pleased with the decision,” Klein said. “Ron is a good person, a family person and a good lawyer.”

The 16th Judicial Court includes DeKalb, Kane and Kendall counties with each judge getting a vote for the vacant seat, Klein said.

DeKalb County has three judges, Kane County has 13 judges and Kendall County has one judge. Matekaitis needed a majority of the votes, or nine, to be named to the seat, Klein said.

Upon hearing the news, Matekaitis said he has enjoyed his time as state’s attorney and looks forward to his new position starting on May 4.

“I’m excited about the new opportunities being a judge will bring,” Matekaitis said. “I feel humbled for the honor of being selected by the circuit judges.”

Maureen Josh, DeKalb County Circuit Clerk, said she was happy with the appointment of Matekaitis.

“Ron is an excellent state’s attorney, and I am confident he will make a good judge,” Josh said. “He is a good listener and he is patient, which are important qualities for a judge.”

She said the selection of Matekaitis is good recognition for DeKalb County lawyers.

“There are a total of 17 votes and only three for DeKalb,” Josh said. “I think it’s wonderful [the circuit judges] recognized DeKalb County lawyers. It speaks well to our legal community.”

Klein said Matekaitis will serve as one of the Kane County judges working in traffic and misdemeanor cases.

Matekaitis has served as the state’s attorney since 2000 and was elected to a third term in last November’s election. He received his undergraduate and law degrees from NIU.