The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) released a call for nominations today for two awards, the Jeffrey D. Colman Access to Justice Award and The Hon. Thomas L. Kilbride (Ret.) Judicial Access to Justice Award. These awards are designed to recognize and celebrate exceptional contributions to increasing access to the court system by improving the experience of litigants.

Campaign season for the 2027 Illinois State Bar Association Election begins today, October 1, for open leadership seats of third vice president (outside Cook County) and the following Board of Governors seats: Area 1 (Circuit 18), Area 2 (Circuits 17, 19, and 22), Area 6 (Circuits 7, 8, and 9), and Area 8 (Circuits 3 and 20). There are also two Board of Governors seats in Cook County. There are 23 open seats for Cook County Assembly.

Justice Lisa Holder White and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Associate Judge Sarah Duffy as a Circuit Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit. Judge Duffy is being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the impending retirement of Chief Judge Casey Costigan on October 16, 2026. The appointment is effective October 19, 2026, and will conclude on December 7, 2026. Judge Duffy has served as an Associate Judge in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit since 2018. Prior to joining the bench, she was with the Fellheimer Law Firm in Pontiac.

In his quarterly Illinois Bar Journal column, Feedback Loops, Patrick Barry weaves technology, the social sciences, notable thinkers and leaders, and lessons he’s learned from teaching law students into an exploration of giving and receiving feedback. In his September column, “Borrowed Language,” Barry focuses on the value and the dividends of being a good listener and how acknowledging you’ve truly heard someone is a secret power. Read, "Borrowed Language," in the September Illinois Bar Journal.