Justice David Overstreet SPRINGFIELD – Eleven counties will join the Fifth Judicial District’s existing 37 southernmost, if legislators adopt a map that Democratic leaders introduced on May 25. Illinois has 102 counties. The district would run 260 miles from Cairo to Hoopeston, and would absorb Decatur but wouldn’t capture the Capitol. The Fifth Judicial District has been trending Republican since 2004 when voters elected Justice Lloyd Karmeier. He was retained in 2014 and retired last year, opening the way for Republican David Overstreet to win easily over Democrat Judy Cates in the 2020 general election. Since Karmeier’s election, the Fifth District Appellate Court in Mt. Vernon has turned from a Democratic majority to a solid 5-2 Republican majority.