The Hon. Brett N. Olmstead is an associate judge for the 6th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois. He was appointed to the bench by the judges of the 6th Judicial Circuit on July 1, 2015, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Chase Leonhard.
The Sixth Judicial Circuit includes Champaign County, DeWitt County, Douglas County, Macon County, Moultrie County, and Piatt County.
Prior to his appointment, Olmstead was a principal shareholder at Beckett & Webber, a law firm he joined in 1994. He specialized in criminal defense matters.
Olmstead earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1990. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Illinois College of Law in 1994.
Born in Jacksonville, Olmstead was raised in Beardstown and Springfield. He was a resident of Champaign, Illinois, at the time of his appointment. Olmstead and his wife, Colleen, live in Champaign. Colleen is a research specialist in the diagnostic lab at the UI College of Veterinary Medicine. When not presiding over legal proceedings, Olmstead enjoys fishing and playing tennis.