This is the wonderful judge that we had the sincere torture of sitting before to hear our son's case. This judge ruled that it was in our (foster son at the time) son's best interest to be returned to his grandparents who were indicated for abusing him (DCFS did not want him returned, nor did Will County Courts). Madison County seems to be a special "black hole" of the judicial system. Funny that Metz felt it was in our son's best interest, but below you will see that he feels it's not his job to decide "best interest". Isn't that Ironic?


ARTICLE:

Judge Returns Abused Child To Her Mother
(Belleville News-Democrat, April 8, 2007)

Girl was burned with cigarettes

EDWARDSVILLE -- Stating that the welfare of children is not his responsibility, a Madison County judge returned an 8-year-old girl to her mother, who had pleaded guilty to not protecting the child from being repeatedly burned with cigarettes.

"It's not my job, really, to decide what's in the best interests of the children," Associate Judge Nelson Metz said on March 9, according to a hearing transcript.

In his courtroom remarks, Metz said state probate law requires that he concern himself primarily with the parental rights of the biological parents and not the children.

Within an hour of the court hearing, Tina and her brother Joey Carnahan were taken from the care of relatives in Granite City where they were placed in 2004. They had stayed first with great-aunt Vickie Barton and then with Barton's sister, their maternal grandmother, Linda Billick. Tina and Joey were returned to their mother, Melinda Hodge of Granite City, who had filed for custody in an Illinois probate court, where child guardianship issues are normally decided, rather than in juvenile court, where child protection matters are usually decided.