Judy Koehler

Judy Koehler (born September 20, 1941) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives and Illinois Appellate Court Justice.

Illinois House of Representatives

Koehler was first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1980, defeating incumbent Representative Donald Anderson in the Republican primary. Koehler received the most votes in the primary, in which the two candidates receiving the most votes were nominated. Koehler also received the most votes in the general election, in which the three candidates receiving the most votes were elected.

Koehler first represented the 45th district, but after the Cutback Amendment was redistricted into the 89th district with fellow incumbent Republican Representative John "Jay" Ackerman. The 89th district included all or parts of Marshall, McLean, Stark, Tazewell, and Woodford counties in north-central Illinois. Koehler defeated Ackerman by a wide margin. Koehler was unopposed in the 1984 general election. Koehler served as Representative for the 89th district until 1987. Koehler's district was based in north-central Illinois.

Koehler opposed the $8,000 a year pay raise that the legislature voted to give itself in a lame-duck session in 1978, and returned $8,000 of her pay to the state treasury every year she was in office, returning a total of $48,000 over her 6 years in office.

1986 United States Senate election In 1986, Koehler ran for the United States Senate. but was unable to oust incumbent Alan Dixon in the general election.

Later career In 1992, a graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Koehler was admitted to the Illinois State Bar. Koehler served as an assistant DuPage County state's attorney. In 1994, Koehler ran for U.S. Congress in Illinois's 18th congressional district to replace the retiring Republican Robert H. Michel. Koehler lost in the primary to Michel's Chief of Staff and endorsed successor Ray LaHood.

Following her run for Congress, Koehler became senior legislative counsel of Americans United for Life. In May 1998, Judy Koehler was appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court by Illinois Supreme Court Justice James Heiple, to fill the vacancy of Michael McCuskey, who had become a federal judge. She narrowly defeated appellate attorney Karen Kendall of Princeville and law professor Michael Closen of Lockport in the Republican primary garnering 34.17% of the vote to Kendall's 33.23% and Closen's 32.60%. In that year's general election, she lost to Democratic candidate Mary McDade.

Electoral history Illinois House of Representatives District 45 Republican primary, 1980 Judy Koehler, 266,214, 55% George Ranney, 217,720, 45% United States Senate election in Illinois, 1986 Alan Dixon (D), 2,033,783, 65% Judy Koehler (R), 1,053,734, 34% Illinois's 18th congressional district Republican primary, 1994 Ray LaHood, 33,956, 50% Judy Koehler, 26,809, 40% Dennis Lee Higgins, 6,959, 10% 3rd District Appellate Court Republican primary, 2000 Judy Koehler, 34,945, 34% Karen L. Kendall, 33,981, 33% Michael L. Closen, 33,981, 33% 3rd District Appellate Court election, 2000 Mary McDade (D), 318,151, 51% Judy Koehler (R), 301,751, 49%