Not everyone leaves Judge John Scotillo's courtroom happy ...

John J. Scotillo knows how to listen.

More than anything, that's what the people who appear before him in Rolling Meadows courtroom 110 want.

"They want a chance to tell their story," says Scotillo, an associate judge in Cook County's Third Municipal District.

Whether the crime is capital murder or a minor traffic infraction, whether it involves $100 or $100,000, defendants and victims want to be heard.

Scotillo listens.

Because every case is important to someone.

His colleagues at the 650-member Northwest Suburban Bar Association recently named Scotillo its public servant of the year for 2009 at its judges night event.

"When you honor me, you honor all the judges in the Third District," said Scotillo as he accepted the award.

Talking with a reporter later, Scotillo suggested in his typical droll, self-effacing manner, that the group chose him because it had run out of names.

Hardly, says Don Cosley, a member of the NWSBA's executive committee. Scotillo's demeanor and compassion, his dedication to his profession as well as his dedication to the community, make him especially deserving of the recognition, Cosley said.

Scotillo began his career as an Assistant State's Attorney in 1975. Four years later, he and some colleagues opened a private practice in Mount Prospect. Appointed to the bench in December, 1988, he began his judicial service in traffic court.

The pace was frenetic and the experience invaluable, says Scotillo. On his first day as judge, he presided over the case of a 14-year-old who took a joy ride in his mother's car, lost control, plowed into a porch and killed a young boy.

Talk about baptism by fire.

Scotillo was next assigned to a misdemeanor court located in a North Side police station.

"There was always so much going on," says the judge, whose typical docket included shoplifting cases in the Gold Coast, incidents on the CTA, altercations in public housing projects and dust-ups between drunk baseball fans in Wrigleyville.

"The best part was that you learned so much in a short time," Scotillo says.

That education prepared him for his next assignment: domestic violence court at 13th Street and Michigan Avenue. He spent much of the 1990s there, calling the experience one of the most satisfying of his career.

"What you did in that courtroom had an effect on people," he says. "The law was changing, you had to keep up."

Twelve years ago, Scotillo transferred to Rolling Meadows. The move cut his commute from 90 minutes to around 15 and allowed him to spend more time with Nancy, his wife of 32 years, and his family.

Since 2003, Scotillo has presided over criminal matters in room 110.

"I'm very fortunate to be here," he says. "Not many people can say they enjoy going to work every day, and I do."

He says the reason rests with his colleagues, especially Presiding Judge Joseph Urso whom he calls "the best boss I ever worked for."

For the most part he tries not to take his work home with him, and yet he says, "I don't think you ever stop being a judge."

Even after 20 years, Scotillo says he learns something new every day. But he adds that those early lessons still apply: treat everyone with respect; act honestly, ethically and without bias; show patience and sensitivity toward victims, defendants and court personnel.

The legal system may be adversarial, he says, but it needn't be antagonistic.

Assistant Public Defender Calvin Aguilar calls Scotillo a "credit to the bench."

"Someone, whether a victim or defendant, will always leave court feeling as if they've come up on the short end," says Aguilar, who regularly appears before Scotillo.

"Regardless of how good or bad the cases we must defend, all we want is a fair day in court," says Aguilar.

Scotillo and his fellow Third District judges deliver, he says.

The judge's public service extends beyond the courtroom. He spent at least 10 years as a volunteer for PADS, an interfaith organization that shelters the homeless in area churches. For the last five years, the former second baseman has volunteered as an assistant girls softball coach at St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, where his daughter once played.

Since 1994, he has coordinated annual gift-giving campaigns to benefit needy children.

"It's a perfect example of who he is and how he spends his time," said Assistant State's Attorney Karen Crothers. "He is constantly thinking about helping people."

Attorneys who come before him know Scotillo will take a common-sense approach in applying the law, says Crothers, who has tried cases in front of him for five years.

"He does his utmost to ensure a fair outcome," she says, "and everybody knows that."