DeKalb County associate judge promoted to 23rd judicial circuit court after predecessor’s retirement

SYCAMORE - A DeKalb County associate judge has been appointed to fill the 23rd judicial court vacancy expected in the new year when Circuit Court Judge Ronald Matekaitis retires.

According to a news release, the appointment of Judge Joseph Pedersen will be effective Jan. 3. Pedersen is serving as an associate judge and will be appointed to the judicial circuit role.

Pedersen has served as an associate judge in DeKalb County since August 2019 and was previously an assistant state’s attorney in DeKalb County. He’s been practicing law since November 1995, and prior to taking the bench served as assistant U.S. attorney in the Rockford office of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern Illinois District. There, he focused on criminal and civil prosecutions, according to a release.

A graduate of Northern Illinois University and the University of Iowa Law School, Pedersen lives in Malta with his wife and their children.

“We’re are excited to have Judge Pedersen continue his judicial career as a circuit judge for the 23rd Judicial Circuit,” Chief Judge Robert Pilmer said in a statement.

DeKalb County Presiding Judge Bradley Waller echoed the praise.

“Judge Pedersen has been an exceptional judge and is eminently qualified to assume this new role,” Waller said in a statement.

According to a joint statement, Waller and Palmer said the retirement of Matekaitis “creates a large void, as he has been a dedicated proponent for the judicial system and the people of DeKalb County throughout his long career as a public servant.”

Pedersen was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court at the recommendation of Justice Michael Burke, the Illinois Supreme Court Justice for the Second District, which includes DeKalb County, according to the release.

Circuit court judges are elected to a six-year term. Pedersen will run for a full term in 2022, according to the release.