Regular visitors to this space are likely familiar with the court system in Madison County Illinois. For years one of the worst “judicial hellholes” in the nation, recent developments suggest there could be light ahead in what’s been a very dark tunnel.

The most recent sign of hope is found in an asbestos trial in which a Madison County jury found on behalf of the Ford Motor Company. The Madison County Record has the details but the following quote from Ford attorney Manuel Sanchez sums things up nicely:

“It’s a new day in Madison County for corporate America,” Sanchez said. “Not only did we get a great jury, we got a terrific, fair and impartial judge.”

That judge is Barbara Crowder and the Ford case is the first Madison County asbestos case to go to trial on her watch as the court’s new asbestos jurist.

Fair and impartial are characteristics seldom associated with Madison County and asbestos – here’s hoping Judge Crowder continues to keep her courtroom a place where justice prevails.