Courts in Illinois
From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 9 min
| More information on Illinois's state courts: |
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| Selection methods Elections Salaries Federal courts |
In Illinois, there are three federal district courts, a state supreme court, an appellate court, and trial courts. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.
Click a link for information about that court type.
The image below depicts the flow of cases through Illinois's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.
Judicial selection process[edit]
- See also: Illinois judicial elections
The seven justices of the Illinois Supreme Court and the 42 judges of the Illinois Appellate Court are selected in an identical manner. Judges are chosen by popular vote in partisan elections and serve 10-year terms, after which they must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections to remain on the court.[1]
The Illinois Circuit Court is the unified trial court in the state, divided into 23 judicial circuits. Circuit judges are elected in partisan elections to six-year terms. Upon the completion of these terms, judges that wish to remain on the court must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections.[1]
To read more about judicial elections in Illinois, click here.
Federal courts[edit]
The federal district courts in Illinois are the:
Appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
Active judges[edit]
Northern district[edit]
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 4, 1984 - |
Northwestern University, 1964 |
University of Illinois-Chicago, John Marshall Law School, 1969 |
||
| October 22, 1998 - |
University of Valparaiso, 1976 |
University of Chicago Law School, 1979 |
||
| January 3, 2006 - |
Northwestern University, 1984 |
Loyola University, Chicago, 1992 |
||
| December 5, 2007 - |
Yale University, 1987 |
Harvard Law School, 1993 |
||
| June 29, 2010 - |
Yale College, 1987 |
Stanford Law School, 1991 |
||
| July 13, 2010 - |
Northern Illinois University, 1981 |
University of Washington School of Law, 1984 |
||
| December 20, 2010 - |
University of Michigan,E., 1991 |
Northwestern University School of Law, 1994 |
||
| May 8, 2012 - |
Harvard University, 1989 |
Harvard Law School, 1992 |
||
| May 16, 2012 - |
Duke University, 1982 |
Northwestern University Law, 1990 |
||
| December 19, 2012 - |
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1975 |
DePaul University Law, 1978 |
||
| October 8, 2013 - |
Indiana University, 1991 |
Loyola University Law, Chicago, 1994 |
||
| October 15, 2013 - |
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1986 |
University of Illinois Law, 1989 |
||
| May 1, 2014 - |
Stanford University, 1994 |
University of Chicago Law School, 1998 |
||
| December 19, 2014 - |
University of Notre Dame, 1988 |
University of Notre Dame, 1992 |
||
| December 19, 2014 - |
University of Miami, 1988 |
George Washington University Law Center, 1991 |
||
| August 19, 2019 - |
Indiana University, 1999 |
University of Chicago Law School, 2002 |
||
| August 20, 2019 - |
University of Michigan, 1984 |
University of Chicago Law School, 1988 |
||
| September 13, 2019 - |
Wheaton College, 1993 |
University of Michigan Law School, 1997 |
||
| February 18, 2020 - |
Northwestern University, 1991 |
Northwestern University, 2003 |
||
| September 23, 2020 - |
University of Illinois, Chicago, 1985 |
DePaul University College of Law, 1988 |
||
| September 23, 2020 - |
Rockford College, 1987 |
University of Illinois-Chicago, John Marshall Law School, 1990 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democrat appointed: 12
- Republican appointed: 9
Central district[edit]
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 10, 2011 - |
Bradley University, 1979 |
University of Illinois-Chicago, John Marshall Law School, 1983 |
||
| March 14, 2011 - |
Southern Illinois University, 1973 |
Southern Illinois University Law School, 1980 |
||
| August 3, 2011 - |
Marquette University, 1992 |
Saint Louis University Law, 1997 |
||
| October 8, 2013 - |
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1986 |
University of Illinois Law, 1989 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democrat appointed: 4
- Republican appointed: 0
Southern district[edit]
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2014 - |
University of Illinois, 1990 |
Southern Illinois University Law School, 1993 |
||
| June 19, 2014 - |
University of Illinois, 1983 |
Vanderbilt University Law School, 1987 |
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| September 18, 2020 - |
University of Dayton, 1983 |
St. Louis University School of Law, 1987 |
||
| September 23, 2020 - |
Eastern Illinois University, 1982 |
Valparaiso University, 1985 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democrat appointed: 2
- Republican appointed: 2
District map[edit]
Judicial selection[edit]
Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click here.
State supreme court[edit]
- See also: Illinois Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is the court of last resort in the state of Illinois. There are seven justices serving five districts, elected to 10-year terms. The Supreme Court has general administrative and supervisory authority over all courts in the state. The court hears appeals from lower courts and may exercise original jurisdiction in cases relating to revenue, mandamus, prohibition, or habeas corpus.[1][2]
The following judges currently sit on the court:
| Judge | Appointed By |
|---|---|
|
Elected |
|
|
Elected |
|
|
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
Elected |
|
|
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
Illinois Supreme Court |
State court of appeals[edit]
- See also: Illinois Appellate Court
The Illinois Appellate Court is the intermediate appellate court in the state. There are five appellate districts and judges are elected to 10-year terms. The court hears appeals from the circuit courts, except for cases explicitly appealed to the state supreme court. The appellate court's rulings can be appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court.[1][3][4]
The following judges currently sit on the court:
First District[edit]
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
December 4, 2006 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
June 15, 2018 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
January 8, 2013 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
September 22, 2011 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2009 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2012 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
1993 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
November 6, 2012 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
February 1, 2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 1, 2014 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
November 5, 2002 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
November 6, 2012 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 7, 2020 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
July 30, 2019 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
August 10, 2009 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 7, 2020 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
January 4, 2021 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
1998 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2010 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
Second District[edit]
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
March 2, 2020 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 5, 1994 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2009 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 5, 1988 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2007 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2008 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2008 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
September 16, 2019 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
Third District[edit]
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
December 4, 2006 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 7, 1992 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2002 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 5, 1994 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 26, 2003 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 4, 2000 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 8, 2020 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
Fourth District[edit]
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
January 14, 2013 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
1989 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2013 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2001 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2017 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2018 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 1, 1986 - Present |
Elected |
Fifth District[edit]
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
January 4, 2021 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
May 1, 2019 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
November 6, 2012 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
January 2, 2015 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
1980 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 7, 2020 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
Trial courts[edit]
- See also: Illinois Circuit Court
The circuit courts are the unified trial court system in Illinois and hold original jurisdiction. The circuit courts are divided into 24 judicial districts. Six are single-county circuits and the remaining 18 circuits are multi-county districts. The court shares jurisdiction with the state supreme court to hear cases about habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, and revenue. The circuit courts also conduct reviews of certain state agency administrative orders.[5][6]
Circuit judges are elected to a six-year term and may run for retention for additional six-year terms. Judges are originally elected from within their judicial circuit, from their county of residence, or from a sub-circuit within the judicial circuit, depending on the relevant court vacancy. Associate judges are appointed by circuit judges in the relevant circuit. Circuit judges elect one of their members to serve as the chief judge of the court. Chief judges have general administrative authority in the judicial circuit and can assign cases to general or specialized divisions in the circuit. The chief judge is subject to the administrative authority of the Illinois Supreme Court.[5]
In other states[edit]
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Illinois Courts, "About the courts in Illinois," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly; Courts: (705 ILCS 25/) Appellate Court Act
- ↑ Illinois courts, "Illinois Appellate Court General Information," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, "History of the Illinois Courts," archived August 16, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Illinois courts, "Illinois Circuit Court General Information," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Illinois Circuit Court General Information"
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois
State courts:
Illinois Supreme Court • Illinois Appellate Court • Illinois Circuit Court
State resources:
Courts in Illinois • Illinois judicial elections • Judicial selection in Illinois
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