Illinois’ Third Judicial Circuit, which covers Madison and Bond counties in the Metro East, will return to a Granite City location in early 2025 after a nearly five-year hiatus.
Located at City Hall, the Granite City courtroom halted operations in 2020 early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, the caseload had been moved to the main courthouse in Edwardsville.
“I am happy to announce that the Third Judicial Circuit will soon return to Granite City for a weekly court call to include traffic, misdemeanor and local ordinance violations,” Chief Judge Steve Stobbs said Wednesday.
Historically, the Granite City courtroom had also heard cases in and around the Metro East town and other municipalities like Madison, Pontoon Beach and Venice.
“Granite City is the largest municipality in Madison County, and the return of the docket will be welcomed by the residents of the Tri-Cities,” Chief Criminal Judge Kyle Napp said. “The area dockets allow people facing criminal and traffic offenses to get to court more easily, especially if they currently do not have a valid driver’s license.”
Stobbs said Associate Judge Andrew Carruthers, who volunteered for the assignment, will preside over the weekly docket next year.
“It is a beautiful courtroom, and we are happy to put it back into use for the residents of the Granite City area,” Stobbs said.
