The Illinois Supreme Court is proud to celebrate this year’s Law Day theme: “Your Vote, Your Voice, Our Democracy: The 19th Amendment at 100.” The women’s suffrage movement forever changed America, expanding representative democracy and inspiring other popular movements for change and reform. 

We find ourselves in the midst of another period of change created by the COVID-19 pandemic. While access to courthouses is restricted due to the public health crisis, the work of the courts continues. The Illinois Courts have been hard at work preparing for the day when we can safely restart in-person proceedings. In the meantime, we are working with the state’s 24 chief judges to hold certain proceedings remotely. Our judges and court staff meet regularly using Zoom to discuss how to continue our mission to protect the rights and liberties of all by providing equal access to justice, resolving disputes, and upholding the rule of law pursuant to the powers and duties entrusted to us by the Illinois Constitution. Our judges, from the circuit courts to the Supreme Court, are attending regular webinars to learn how to adapt and use this opportunity to improve our courts system. The courts community has termed this as taking the lemons we have been given and creating lemonade.

One day soon this crisis will subside and it is our intention that the Illinois Courts will be stronger because of it. Just like the country was 100 years ago when the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.