Judge pleased with in-person court hearings Judge pleasedwith in-personcourt hearings FacebookTwitterEmail Mudge EDWARDSVILLE — The first week of limited in-person court hearings appeared to go well, but it is still a learning process, according to Chief Circuit Judge William Mudge. The courts have been closed to all but essential hearings, with much of the court’s business being conducted remotely for the past year. Last Monday the first in-person hearings were held, including Traffic Court, one of the biggest dockets, and the first grand jury in about a year. “We moved a lot of files,” Mudge said. “We’re off to a good start so far. We’re slowly, cautiously resuming services here.”