After retiring as federal judge, Illinois jurist relishes his return to the state trial court bench
After 10 years on the Illinois trial and appellate court bench and another 16 years serving as a federal district judge and chief district judge in Champaign, some might think Michael McCuskey would be ready to take it easy.
But within months after retiring as a federal judge last year, McCuskey, who is now 66, made an unusual career move: He is back on the bench—in Illinois state court. And, when his appointment to the serve as presiding judge in Marshall, Putnam and Stark counties expires in November 2016, he hopes to be elected to continue with the job, the Peoria Journal Star reports.
His early ascension to the 3rd District Appellate Court in Ottawa only two years after he won a seat on the bench in Marshall County in 1988 meant that he never got a chance to spend much time as a state trial judge. McCuskey is now relishing doing so, explaining that he has no hobbies and loves being a judge.
Meanwhile, his age and experience have made him better at the job, he says.
“I think you learn to listen more, and you learn that you need to be patient in your decisions,” he explained. “When you’re younger, there’s an energy that you have that can be a negative. I think that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned over the years—to listen and let people speak. I think we all have to do that, to let people be heard.”
