The Hon. Dean E. Sweet (Ret.) served as an associate judge for the 3rd Judicial Circuit Court in Illinois. Sweet was appointed to the bench by the judges of the 3rd Judicial Circuit in 2010, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Ralph Mendelsohn. He retired on May 31, 2014.
The 3rd Judicial Circuit includes Madison County and Bond County.
Prior to his appointment, Sweet was a sole practitioner in his own private practice, a law firm he opened in Wood River in 2004. Before that, he was a partner at Holland & Holland. He supplemented his practice with service as a city attorney for East Alton, Roxana, and Champaign, specializing in municipal and school law.
Sweet earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University in 1973. He then completed a J.D. at Saint Louis University School of Law in 1976. He is admitted to practice in Illinois (1976), the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois (1976), the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (1978), and the United States Supreme Court (1980).
After graduating from law school, Sweet began his legal career as an assistant state’s attorney in the Civil Division of the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office.
His memberships have included the Alton-Wood River Bar Association (president), the River Bend Growth Association, the Wood River Rotary Club, and the United Steelworkers Union. He also sat on the Board of Directors of the Madison County Urban League.
A veteran of the United States Air Force, Sweet was awarded the United States Air Force Medal for his service during the Vietnam War. He and his wife, Judy, have two children. They attend the United Methodist Church.