The Illinois Supreme Court has named Judge Cara LeFevour Smith as the Director and Wendy Venvertloh as Deputy Director to lead the new operational structure for statewide pretrial services in adult criminal proceedings. The Court announced the new operational structure under the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) in a press release on Aug. 20.
Illinois Supreme Court
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August 27, 2021 | Practice News
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August 27, 2021 | Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court has hired Scott Block to serve as the state’s first Statewide Behavioral Health Administrator. Block will serve as the Illinois Judicial Branch’s dedicated mental health voice and resource, committed to furthering local, state, and national behavioral health and justice initiatives that affect the courts. In this capacity, he will act as the project director of the Illinois Supreme Court Mental Health Task Force and provide professional guidance on the Illinois Courts’ response to behavioral health issues that intersect with the justice system.
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August 20, 2021 | Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced today a new operational structure for pretrial services which will place all pretrial services under the authority of the Supreme Court’s Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC), including employment of all pretrial officers. The AOIC will be tasked with the development and enforcement of all pretrial standards throughout Illinois in order to support the implementation of the Criminal Justice Reform Act (“SAFE-T Act”). The SAFE-T Act is scheduled to take effect in January 2023.
3 comments (Most recent August 23, 2021) -
August 19, 2021 | Practice News
WHAT: Memorial service honoring the late Justice James D. Heiple
WHEN: 2 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021
WHERE: Supreme Court Courtroom, 200 E. Capitol Ave., Springfield and livestreamThe Illinois Supreme Court will host a memorial service in honor of the late Justice James D. Heiple, who served on the Illinois Supreme Court from 1990 to 2000. A program will be available for download on the Court’s website a few days before the service.
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July 15, 2021 | Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced today an amendment to Order M.R. 30370 concerning residential evictions. Timed to coincide with the resumption of eviction filings effective August 1, 2021, the amended Order provides for a one-month period in which the judiciary will focus on referring newly filed cases to State programs providing financial assistance to landlords and tenants.
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June 30, 2021 | Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court today issued two new orders which will resume statutory time restrictions for speedy trials on October 1 and relax social distancing requirements in courthouses. Both orders are effective immediately.
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June 28, 2021 | ISBA News
The ISBA Assembly adopted the Association Code of Conduct during its regularly scheduled meeting on June 25.
“Ensuring the Association’s good reputation and public trust depends on its members’ personal integrity and adherence to the highest standards of conduct,” the Code of Conduct states. “To this end, the Association is committed to the fair and equitable treatment of all members, employees, and others with whom they maintain professional relationships. Therefore, in the conduct of all Association business, all members and employees are obligated to conduct themselves professionally and ethically and to treat each other with dignity and respect.”
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June 14, 2021 | Practice News
Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today amendments to Rule 756 and Rule 751, which will give $10 from the attorney registration fee to the Illinois Lawyers Assistance Program (LAP) and an additional $10 allocation for the Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) to provide funding for Illinois Court Help.
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June 11, 2021 | Practice News
Chief Justice Anne M. Burke and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today amendments to Rule 11 and Rule 371 which alter the manner of serving certain legal documents and how a rule on confidential records is applied.
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June 7, 2021 | ISBA News
The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) fully agrees with the Illinois Supreme Court’s well-reasoned decision to temporarily pause the implementation of the legislatively enacted judicial redistricting plan in order for the Court to faithfully execute the plan. The efficient and orderly administration of justice is of the utmost importance to the ISBA and its members. While we recognize that judicial redistricting is a legislative act properly carried out by the General Assembly, our Supreme Court nonetheless retains administrative and supervisory authority over all courts in Illinois. The piece of legislation creating Illinois’ new judicial districts (Public Act 102-0011) will necessitate substantial changes to the filing of appeals and the administration of justice. As the Court noted in its Order issued this morning, the legislation will require “updates to e-filing and case management systems software, redistribution of staffing and judicial resources, and training of judicial stakeholders and education of the public and members of the bar.” On behalf of the ISBA, I applaud our Supreme Court’s leadership and foresight in recognizing that the changes necessitated by this legislation must be properly and thoughtfully implemented in order to ensure the efficient and orderly administration of our justice system.