Morgan County public defender Tom Piper retires after 33 years

Tom Piper stepped down as Morgan County public defender on June 30 after 33 years, and assistant public defender Devin Vaughn took over the office the next day. Piper will keep representing indigent clients in Greene County.

The public defender’s office represents people who cannot afford an attorney, with judges deciding eligibility by reviewing financial information. In the 2020 census, the county had 32,915 residents, and the estimate for July 1, 2025, was 32,515. Morgan County funds the office, and state law covers 66 2/3% of the public defender’s annual salary.

Vaughn was chosen by a vote of the sitting judges of the Illinois Seventh Judicial Circuit after Piper’s resignation drew multiple applicants. Chief Circuit Judge Chris Reif praised Piper’s decades of work in Morgan County and Central Illinois, saying he devoted his life and passion to representing indigent clients. Vaughn, who has roots at Routt Catholic High School and Illinois College, now inherits a caseload and an office structure shaped by Piper’s practice.

In smaller-county offices like this one, attorneys often maintain private practices, which means conflict checks can send a case to an assistant public defender or, when needed, a special public defender. Bob Bonjean III is joining the office as assistant public defender while continuing his private practice. Piper credited secretary Sue Thomas with helping keep the Morgan County office running, and Vaughn said Piper had been a mentor over the last couple of years. Piper also said he relies on Lois Sorrells in the Greene County office. The office is based in Jacksonville, and Morgan County appears in the Illinois Office of the State Appellate Defender’s statewide public defender directory.