Hon. Zina R. Cruse is a circuit judge for the 20th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois in St. Clair County. She was elected to the bench in 2012, becoming the first African-American woman to be elected to the circuit bench in southern Illinois.
Cruse has presided over a felony docket and the St. Clair County Mental Health Court and Veterans & Service Members Treatment Court. She began her judicial career as an associate judge for the 20th Judicial Circuit Court, a position to which she was appointed in 2009.
Prior to joining the bench, she was in private practice in both Illinois and Missouri for fifteen years, including managing her own law firm. During that time, Cruse handled family/domestic, criminal, real estate, nonprofit organizations, and bankruptcy matters.
She received a B.S. in business administration from Northeast Missouri State University in 1985. Cruse went on to complete a J.D. at Florida State University College of Law in 1993. She was admitted to practice in Florida (1994), Missouri (1995), and Illinois (1995).
Cruse has sat on the Special Advisory Committee on Justice and Mental Health Planning. A certified mentor and justice performance evaluator, she has also served as head judge for the St. Clair County Annual Expungement & Sealing Summit and the Amnesty/Clean Slate Day.