The Honorable Zina Cruse, Judge 20th Judicial Circuit, St. Clair County
The Honorable Zina Cruse is a Circuit Judge in the State of Illinois for the 20th Judicial Circuit Court in the State of Illinois, which includes St. Clair, Randolph, Monroe, Perry and Washington. She is the first African-American woman elected to the Circuit bench in southern Illinois. Prior to becoming a Circuit Judge, Judge Cruse was appointed as an Associate Judge in 2009, having previously practiced law in Illinois and Missouri for approximately 15 year, when a he owned a law firm and a title insurance company. Her practice emphases were: Family/Domestic, Criminal, Real Estate, Not-For-Profit organizations and Bankruptcy.
Judge Cruse currently presides over a felony docket. In addition to her felony docket, she presides over 2 Problem-Solving Courts: the St. Clair County Mental Health Court and Veterans & Service Members Treatment Court. She was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court and currently serves on the Special Advisory Committee on Justice and Mental Health Planning. She is a certified Judicial Mentor and Judicial Performance Evaluator. Judge Zina Cruse is the lead judge for the St. Clair County Annual county-wide Expungement & Sealing Summit and the Amnesty/Clean Slate Day.
Judge Cruse is dedicated to community service and meets that commitment through membership in service organizations and her church.