Feetterer named McHenry County chief judge

McHenry County Judge Michael W. Feetterer will serve as chief judge of the 22nd Judicial Circuit, which covers the county, court officials said in a Friday afternoon news release.

Feetterer will start his role as chief judge Dec. 1 and serve through Nov. 30, 2026. He replaces Michael J. Chmiel, who has served as chief judge since December 2022.

Feetterer currently presides over the mental health, drug and DUI courts, according to the release.

“Reducing recidivism rates among nonviolent substance abuse offenders and helping increase the success of rehabilitation for this population through judicially supervised treatments and other therapeutic approaches is the focus of Judge Feetterer, and the dedicated probation and treatment professionals,” according to the release.

Feetterer was first appointed as an associate judge in the 22nd Circuit in 2004 and has served in the Family Division, Special Assignment and Criminal Division. He currently is the presiding judge of the court’s Problem-Solving Division, according to the release.

Feetterer holds an undergraduate degree in business administration from Loyola University Chicago and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law, according to the release. He joined Diamond, LeSueur, Roth & Feetterer, P.C., as a civil and criminal litigator shortly after law school graduation, according to the release. He also had a private practice in McHenry and served as municipal attorney for Spring Grove, Richmond and McCullom Lake, according to the release. He also was a local prosecutor for several municipalities, according to the release.