A veteran Illinois judge has been removed from the bench after an oversight panel ruled that he engaged in misconduct and tried to circumvent the law when he reversed an 18-year-olds rape conviction.

The Judicial Inquiry Board filed a three-count amended complaint with the Illinois Courts Commission in January 2023, accusing Adams County Judge Robert Adrian of willful misconduct, conduct that was prejudicial to the administration of justice and that brought the judicial office into disrepute.

After a three-day hearing on the complaint in November , the commission concluded Friday that instead of just a reprimand or censure, the Quincy, Illinois, judges behavior is ample grounds for removal.

Adrian has engaged in multiple instances of misconduct, he abused his position of power to indulge his own sense of justice while circumventing the law, he lied under oath on multiple occasions, and he has failed to acknowledge his misconduct, the commission ruled.

Much more was required of [Adrian], the ruling said. Based on our findings in this case and Commission precedent, we conclude the only appropriate sanction is to remove [Adrian] from the office of circuit court judge, effective immediately.