Northern Illinois

All ISBA systems will be down due to electrical work beginning Friday, Dec. 29 at 8 a.m. until Saturday, Dec. 30 at 12 p.m. (noon). During this time the ISBA website will not be available. As a result you will also not be able to log into Fastcase, online CLE, and ISBA Central. Here is what you need to know and steps you can take to ensure continued service.

Online CLE

You will not be able to access online CLE at all during the outage. If you need to complete CLE credit before the end of the year, we strongly urge you to plan to finalize that before the outage. 

ISBA Central Communities and Discussion Groups

Discussion groups will still be available via email, but you will not be able to log into ISBA Central. (Note: if you are already logged into the ISBA website, you may be able to access ISBA Central by going to it directly at http://central.isba.org).

Fastcase

For members who need to access Fastcase during this time, please follow the instructions below.

Robert Chapman Buckley, retired Justice of the Illinois Appellate Court, was born on August 14, 1923, in Canton, Illinois to Peter Mark and Marguerite nee Waugh Buckley. He died Tuesday, November 28, 2017, surrounded by family in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Justice Buckley attended St. Mel High School in Chicago. After attending Morton Junior College, Justice Buckley enlisted in the Army and immediately joined the Army Air Corps. He served as a pilot, navigator, and radar operator for the 305th Bomb Group, flying daytime raids in B-17 bombers out of Chelveston, England. He was recognized for his service with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the European Theatre Ribbon with four battle stars, and the Army Commendation Ribbon.

After the war, Justice Buckley returned home and graduated from De Paul University and then went on to Georgetown University, from which his received his Juris Doctorate degree and was a member of the legal fraternity Phi Alpha Delta. While a full-time law student, he worked nights at the U.S. Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. as a Capitol Police Officer.

The day he opened his law office in Chicago, Justice Buckley, then an Air Force reservist, was called to serve in the Korean conflict. He left once again, this time to fly jet refuelers. 

Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9(c)(4) was amended to allow a good cause exemption to e-filing for self-represented litigants (SRL). The rule change is effective immediately for proceedings in the supreme court and appellate courts. For proceedings in the circuit courts, the amended rule is effective on Jan. 1, 2018.

The amended rule defines the good cause exemption, which must be shown by certification and filed with the court before or with an initial pleading, that exempts SRLs from the e-filing requirement. It also specifies the procedures that must be followed to properly obtain the exemption.

The rule change comes less than three weeks before electronic filing in civil cases will be mandatory across Illinois, and reflects the Illinois Supreme Court's commitment to ensuring access to justice for everyone, including vulnerable SRLs.

Under the amended rule, good cause exists where a self-represented litigant is not able to e-file documents for the following reasons:

• No computer or Internet access in the home and travel represents a hardship 
• A disability, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, that prevents e-filing
• A language barrier or low literacy (difficulty reading, writing, or speaking in English)
• If the pleading is of a sensitive nature, such as a petition for an order of protection or civil no contact/stalking order

Judges retain discretion to determine whether good cause is shown, or if, under particular circumstances, good cause exists without the filing of a certificate.

Jack L. Leiby, Sr., 75, of Rock Island, passed away on Friday, November 10, 2017 at his home. Jack was born on August 2, 1942 in Peoria, a son of Albert and Lucille (Reuter) Leiby. He married Charlotte L. Bennett in March of 1974, she passed away June 14, 1990.  Jack later married Jody Wendland on November 16, 1991 in Rock Island. 

Jack earned his bachelor and J.D. degrees from the University of Illinois and was a private practice attorney from 1994-2011.  He also taught as an Adjunct Professor at Black Hawk College from 1982-2012. Jack had served as vice president and trust officer of the Rock Island Bank and trust and senior vice president and trust officer of First National Bank, Moline. 

Jack was also civically involved as a member of the Rock Island/Milan School Board. He served as president of the Rock Island Public Library Board, Easter Seals and the Rock Island Noon Lions Club. He was also a member of the Iowa Boy Scout Trust Council, the Rock Island Rotary Club and Friends of the Rock Island Public Library. 

Jack also enjoyed membership in several area, state and nationwide associations including the Quad City Stamp Club, American Philatelic Association, Rock Island County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association and the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness.  He was also a longtime member of Trinity Anglican Church, Rock Island, where he served as Chancellor for many years. Jack was a U.S. Air Force veteran.