EDWARDSVILLE - Touting a record of proven experience and a commitment to integrity, Associate Judge Steve Stobbs of Godfrey announced he will be a Republican candidate for Circuit Judge in the election of 2020. Judge Stobbs will run to fill the vacancy created by the recent retirement of longtime Circuit Judge A. Andreas Matoesian, the longest serving Judge in Illinois history. Judge Matoesian held an “at-large” Circuit position, meaning Judge Stobbs will appear on the ballot in both Madison and Bond Counties.
Judge Stobbs has served as one of Madison County’s 13 Associate Judges since June 2006 and this past April received the highest rating among the Judges for reappointment, as voted by the members of the Illinois State Bar Association. Judge Stobbs received a 97% approval rating by the Association Members.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Prior to his appointment, Judge Stobbs served as a Republican member of the Madison County Board representing Godfrey for eight years, having been elected three times. Among other committee assignments, Judge Stobbs served as Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.
“From my first election to the County Board in 1998 I have served the people of Madison County and the Third Judicial Circuit for over twenty years” said Judge Stobbs. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the people of Madison and Bond Counties as an elected Circuit Judge.”
Over the course of his thirteen (13) years on the bench, Judge Stobbs has presided over nearly every type of case in the Madison County Courthouse, including traffic, criminal misdemeanors, foreclosure, probate, chancery, juvenile abuse and neglect and domestic litigation, where he served a term as Presiding Judge of that division. In addition, Judge Stobbs has presided over numerous jury trials and non-jury trials including those involving complex toxic tort cases. Since 2013, Judge Stobbs has served as the Presiding Judge and managed Madison County’s asbestos docket.
While on the bench, Judge Stobbs has been appointed to several committees of the Circuit Court, including the Court’s Medical Malpractice Mediation committee and Foreclosure Mediation committee. In addition, Judge Stobbs was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court on the recommendation of Justice Lloyd Karmeier, to the Legislative Committee of the Supreme Court of Illinois, which monitored the legislative activity of the Illinois General Assembly as it effects the judicial branch. He is a certified judicial mediator having successfully completed a course at the National Judicial College, Reno Nevada.
Judge Stobbs was first licensed to practice law in 1994 following his graduation, with honors, from the Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI and previously from Saint Louis University, where he completed his undergraduate degree with honors. Judge Stobbs has been published by The Northern Illinois University Law Review and “Fire Call”, an Illinois Association of Volunteer Fire Protection Districts publication.
From 1994 until his appointment as an Associate Judge in 2006, Judge Stobbs maintained a general law practice with his father, the late John Dale Stobbs, at Stobbs & Sinclair, Ltd. in Alton. John Dale Stobbs passed away in 2016 having practiced law in Alton for over 50 years. Judge Stobbs’ brother, John Stobbs II, is also an attorney and former President of the Madison County Bar Association.
Stobbs said “Although I have been in the legal profession for the past 25 years, the practice of law has been the family business my entire life. From my time in my family’s Alton law practice through my 13 years on the bench I bring a record of proven experience and integrity to this race. I look forward to a great campaign in 2020 and to continue serving the people of the Third Judicial Circuit as a Circuit Judge.”
Judge Stobbs lives in Godfrey with his wife, Katie, and their four children. He is a member of the Illinois Judges Association, a past member of the Board of the Alton Boys and Girls Club and a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alton, Illinois.
More like this:
