Court problems in Madison County more than just an image issue

Several local citizens in an effort to promote bipartisanship and improve the image of Madison County Courts and government hope their Madison League project will make a difference.

The idea of citizens taking a stand is a message Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch has advocated for years. I-LAW’s mission has always been to engage citizens and encourage grassroots participation in the process. So, the idea behind this project is sound.

But the problems in Madison County are not merely cosmetic in nature. The problems in Madison County Courts are very real. Madison County is known as one of the nation’s worst “Judicial Hellhole” – not because the County has a PR problem but because there are real problems that have not gone away. Madison County needs to do more than just improve its image – it has to clean up its act.

Just last December, Madison County Judge Barbara Crowder was removed from the County’s asbestos docket because she awarded 82 percent of the 2013 asbestos docket trial slots to three law firms that four days later donated more than $30,000 to her campaign.

The best way for Madison County to burnish its reputation as a “Judicial Hellhole” is to restore fairness to the court system. Voters will be watching to see if judges continue efforts to restore common sense and fairness to Metro-East courts or if they stand in the way of reforms. Come November, they will have the chance to render a verdict on the fairness of the judiciary when they head to the polls.