Madison County Circuit Judge Kyle Napp has been appointed Chief Criminal Judge, filling the role previously held by Circuit Judge Richard Tognarelli who retired Jan. 4.
Napp is the first woman to hold the position of Chief Criminal Judge in the Third Judicial Circuit and was appointed to the role on Dec. 1. The Third Judicial Circuit includes Bond and Madison Counties.
Napp said she is honored to join the ranks of former Chief Circuit Judge Ann Callis, who was also the first female to hold her position.
Napp said she is “really excited about the opportunity” to follow in the footsteps of former Chief Criminal Judge Charles Romani. She also considered former judge Larry Keshner a role model in her career.
She added that her appointment “seems surreal,” but she is proud of how her hard work has allowed her to be appointed to the position.
Chief Circuit Judge William Mudge said he was honored to appoint Napp to the position.
“I was pleased and honored to appoint judge Kyle Napp as the chief of the criminal division,” said Chief Circuit Judge William Mudge. “A former prosecutor and associate judge, and currently a circuit judge, she possesses the experience, temperament and legal ability to deliver fair and impartial justice.
“Respected both by her colleagues and judicial staff, she was the obvious choice to lead the judges currently assigned to the criminal justice center in Madison County,” he continued. “She has presided over her assigned dockets with distinction, and in my mind has helped save the lives of many individuals who have graduated from drug court and returned them to productive citizenship.”
Napp said that transitioning to the chief criminal judge role during the Covid-19 restrictions has been a smooth process. She said she wrote the guidelines for conducting a criminal jury trial during the pandemic and understands the logistics of handling the changes.
“What we want to do, though, is be prepared for when restrictions start to get lifted,” she said. “We want to be prepared to jump back in and start moving these cases.”
Napp is a lifelong Madison County resident and graduated from Roxana High School. She now lives in Godfrey with her husband Allan and their three children: Ian, Aiden and Grace.
She went on to receive her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1989 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in 1992.
After graduation, Napp served as an assistant state’s attorney in Madison County from 1993 until she was appointed an associate judge in 2007.
Napp was elected circuit judge in 2012. She is a co-founder of the Madison County Child Advocacy Center.
Mudge said Napp will continue to preside over her current dockets, which include the Criminal Felony Division and the Mental Health and Drug Alternative Treatment Courts.
“I think those dockets are really important,” Napp said.
She said she will also continue to hear the more serious criminal cases and continue to handle grand juries.
Napp plans to assign Circuit Judge Sarah Smith to preside over the veteran’s court.
“I think having a vet presiding over that court is important,” she said. “That’s wonderful for them.”
Mudge said other judicial assignments may be rearranged after the vacant associate judge positions are filled.
In addition to Tognarelli’s circuit judge vacancy, the Third Judicial Circuit currently has two associate judge vacancies created by the retirement of former associate judge Barry Julian and the election of Stephen Stobbs as a circuit judge.
Mudge previously said he anticipates the associate judge seats to be filled sometime in March. The deadline to apply for the positions is Jan. 11.
Associate judges are selected by a vote among the circuit’s nine elected judges. To be appointed, an applicant must receive at least five votes.
As for Tognarelli’s circuit judge vacancy, the seat will be filled by an appointment by the Illinois Supreme Court.
“Once I ask Justice David Overstreet to fill the vacancy, his process will determine the timeline,” Mudge said. “In the past, Justice Karmeier has utilized a committee of lawyers to interview candidates and make recommendations, but ultimately it is the Justice’s decision as to both the process and appointment.
Mudge and Napp both wished Tognarelli well in his retirement.
“Judge Tognarelli has ably served Madison County as an assistant state’s attorney, associate judge and circuit judge for many years. I wish him well in his retirement as he begins the next chapter in his life,” Mudge said.
Napp said she was happy Tognarelli and his wife were taking the opportunity to enjoy retirement in Florida.
Tognarelli served as an associate judge in Madison County since 2002 before he was elected circuit judge in 2008.
Tognarelli graduated from Saint Louis University School of Law in 1974. After graduation, he served as an assistant state’s attorney for 13 years and worked in private practice in Collinsville for 27 before becoming a judge.
He was co-chair of the Third Judicial Circuit Family Violence Prevention Council and vice-chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.
Tognarelli is married and has two sons.
He could not be reached for comment.