The Supreme Court of Illinois announced Wednesday that Carolyn B. Smoot, an attorney for 27 years, has been appointed a resident circuit judge in the First Judicial Circuit. Ms. Smoot was appointed to fill the Circuit Court seat which became vacant upon the November 1, 2010 retirement of Circuit Judge Ronald Eckiss. Her appointment is effective December 15, 2010 and will expire December 3, 2012, when the position will be filled by the winner of the 2012 General Election. "I am very honored and humbled by this appointment. I deeply appreciate the confidence that Justice Karmeier and the Illinois Supreme Court have placed in me. I look forward to serving the people as a circuit judge; becoming the first woman judge in Williamson County makes my appointment that much more special.” Ms. Smoot, 57, currently serves as the Director of Paralegal Studies Program at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, a position she has held since l998. Previously she was engaged in private practice focusing on Family Law, Probate Law and Mediation and has held the position of Williamson County Assistant State’s Attorney. Ms. Smoot received a B.A. degree in Social Welfare from Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, Illinois. She received her juris doctor degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law in l983. She was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1983, and has also been admitted to practice in the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit and the United States District Court of Southern District of Illinois.