Justice David K. Overstreet and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Christopher “Kit” Hantla as Montgomery County Resident Circuit Judge in the Fourth Judicial Circuit. 

Mr. Hantla was appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge James L. Roberts. The appointment is effective April 21, 2023, and will conclude December 2, 2024, following the November 2024 general election. 

Mr. Hantla is a solo practitioner at Hantla & Hantla, LTD, where he has worked since 1999 with an emphasis on municipal law, family law, personal injury, probate law, and estate planning. He serves as the current City Attorney for the cities of Litchfield and Wagoner and was previously City Attorney for the city of Hillsboro for seven years. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Blue Ribbon Committee on mandatory liability insurance. 

“I am very honored to be appointed by the Justices,” Hantla said. “I hope to instill the trust in my constituents that they deserve and carry out the duties of office.” 

Mr. Hantla earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Missouri and received his Juris Doctor from the Southern Illinois University School of Law. 

A screening committee was formed to review applicants. The screening committee was chaired by the Hon. John Coady of Taylorville and also included the Hon. Dennis Huber (Hillsboro), the Hon. Kim Koester (Effingham), Attorney Barbara Adams of Hillsboro, Attorney Steve Cullison (Hillsboro) and Attorney Michael Glenn (Nokomis).