Kendall County Judge Stephen Krentz takes on leadership role in judicial system

Kendall County Judge Stephen Krentz knows that his decisions affect people’s lives and is always looking for just solutions.

“I love resolving conflict,” Krentz said. “It’s very rewarding. It’s like putting the last pieces of a puzzle in place.”

Krentz, 57, hears a broad range of civil cases, including contract litigation and insurance claims, as well as personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.

“I want to make good decisions for the county and the people in the courtroom,” Krentz said.

His peers in the judiciary and the general public appear to agree that Krentz does indeed make good decisions.

Krentz was appointed an associate judge in 2012 and appointed a full circuit judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2014 to fill a vacancy.

He was elected a circuit judge in his own right in 2016 and was retained by the electorate Nov. 8 for another six-year term on the bench.

Now, Krentz is taking on an additional role as Kendall County’s presiding judge, with responsibility for the management and administration of the court system.

That includes working with the Kendall County Board on budgeting and financial matters, along with oversight of the Public Defender’s Office and Court Services, the office that handles probation.

However, the key responsibility of the presiding judge is to manage the courtroom and case assignments for all of the judges, ensuring that legal disputes are resolved expeditiously and that justice is swiftly done.

“It’s about making the best use of resources and talents,” Krentz said.

Krentz was appointed presiding judge by 23rd Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Bradley Waller on Nov. 28. The 23rd Circuit covers Kendall and DeKalb counties.

In Kendall County, Krentz and five other judges are responsible for handling the court’s docket of civil and criminal cases.

Circuit judges include Robert Pilmer, Jody Gleason and John McAdams. There are two associate judges, Joseph Voiland and Carlo Colosimo.

Krentz takes Pilmer’s place as presiding judge for a two-year term.

A Plano native, Krentz went to Valparaiso University in Indiana for his undergraduate and law degrees.

During the summers when school was out, Krentz returned home to work for Little Rock Township.

Krentz drove dump trucks, patched roadways, mowed ditches and hauled gravel. He clearly relished the experience.

A more formative experience started in 1990. Krentz practiced law with his father, the late Peter Krentz, for 22 years.

“I had exposure to a lot of different areas of the law,” Krentz said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting effect on courtrooms, Krentz said.

The use of remote video conferencing in the courtroom has been “a seismic change,” he said.

“It’s very, very easy for lawyers” to use the virtual video links instead of coming to the courthouse, Krentz said.

“There are unintended consequences because the lawyers are not face-to-face,” Krentz said, undermining their ability to reach a settlement in a case.

For pre-trial settlement conferences, Krentz insists that lawyers appear in person.

“I put them in a room and we get the case settled,” Krentz said. “It’s easier.”

When Krentz first began practicing law in 1990, it was uncommon for litigants to represent themselves in court.

Now, “pro se” representation happens much more often, Krentz said.

“They desperately want to be heard,” Krentz said. “They think we don’t understand, but we do.”

To help such litigants, the courthouse holds a “Lawyer in the Lobby” event every Friday, Krentz said, allowing them to learn about legal procedure and obtain the proper forms the be filled out for their cases.

While the circuit has authorized the addition of another associate judge for Kendall County, Krentz said there are no immediate plans to do so.

Support for that judge, including staffing and courtroom infrastructure need to be taken into account.

“We have a long way to go before we make that decision,” Krentz said.

A major change for Krentz and judges across Illinois will be the controversial SAFE-T Act and its cashless bail component that takes effect with the new year.

Kendall County State’s Attorney Eric Weis and 57 other county state’s attorneys filed lawsuits challenging the act on constitutional grounds.

Those suits were combined into one case that is now being heard in a Kankakee courtroom, with a decision expected later this month.

Krentz declined to discuss the act or the lawsuit.

When he is not making judicial decisions, Krentz enjoys reading, golf, woodworking and gardening at his home near Plano in unincorporated Little Rock Township.

Krentz and his wife, Amy, have been married 33 years and have three children.