The top judge in Illinois’ Third Judicial Circuit, which covers Madison and Bond counties in the Metro East, will retire at the end of the year.
Chief Judge Stephen Stobbs, 56, said he will return full time to a private law practice.
“It was the honor of my life to spend the past 18 years serving the people of Madison and Bond counties, as a judge,” Stobbs said in a statement. “I will especially miss my friends and colleagues here at the courthouse, including all the wonderful employees that work tirelessly, every day, to serve the people.”
The Republican won election to the top spot in the circuit in 2020 after serving 14 years as an associate judge.
During his tenure, Stobbs presided over every type of case: traffic, criminal, probate, chancery, civil and family. He also served as the presiding judge on the docket specializing in asbestos cases, which is one of the biggest in the United States, according to the circuit.
Before that, Stobbs served eight years on the Madison County Board, representing the Godfrey area, and worked at the Stobbs & Sinclair law firm in Alton with his father.
