Practice News

Michael J. Tardy, Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, announced today that the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit judges voted to select Donna R. Honzel as an associate judge of the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit.

Ms. Honzel received her undergraduate degree in 1988 from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg and her Juris Doctor in 1991 from the University of Illinois. Ms. Honzel is currently affiliated with Mateer Goff & Honzel LLP in Rockford.

Justice Thomas L. Kilbride and the Illinois Supreme Court have announced the appointment of Galesburg attorney Anthony W. Vaupel as a Circuit Judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit.

Mr. Vaupel was appointed by the Court to fill the vacancy created by Chief Judge James B. Stewart, who retired on October 1, 2015. His appointment takes effect December 7, 2015, and will terminate on Dec. 5, 2016, when the position is filled by the 2016 General Election.

The oral argument in the Chicago municipal and laborers pension law matter will be heard by the Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday, November 17, 2015.

Mary J. Jones, et al. v. Municipal Employees' Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago, et al. is the third of four cases set for argument on November 17 at the Supreme Court Building at 200 East Capitol Avenue in Springfield. The first argument will begin at 9 a.m.

The argument in Jones will be captured by multiple high-definition cameras installed in the Courtroom and streamed live by Advanced Digital Media, Inc./ Blueroomstream.com.

Under Supreme Court rules, Advanced Digital Media applied for and was granted permission to serve as the media pool for the argument.
The live stream will be available at https://livestream.com/blueroomstream/events/4484348.

Audio and video of the argument will also be available later on November 17 on the Illinois Supreme Court's website at www.illinoiscourts.gov/Media/On_Demand.asp.

For members of the media who plan to attend the argument in person, please be aware that seating within the Courtroom is limited and there is no reserved seating. Auxiliary seating is available in a room adjacent to the second floor Courtroom, where the argument will be streamed on a monitor for viewing.

Chief Judge Kathryn E. Creswell and Circuit Court Clerk Chris Kachiroubas are pleased to announce that the 18th Judicial Circuit (DuPage County) has received permission to implement mandatory e-filing of authorized civil cases. Starting on Jan. 1, 2016, new civil cases, as well as pleadings in existing matters, will be required to be filed electronically. In order to assist self-represented parties, work stations in the Circuit Clerk's Office and assistance through the DuPage Law Library will be made available.

DuPage County is the first county in Illinois to be approved for mandatory e-filing of civil cases. Chief Judge Creswell stated, "Electronic filing provides advantages in time, labor and convenience to the Court, the Clerk and the litigants."

"DuPage County has been e-filing since 2004 and this would be the next natural progression. Mandatory e-filing will move the State Court system into a new level of efficiency and accuracy while reducing paper and court/government overhead," Circuit Clerk Kachiroubas added. "The process is simple, but meets the high standard of the Illinois Statutes. Both the first-time filer and the seasoned legal professional will find the system accomodating and competent."

There are no additional fees to e-file in DuPage County. E-file documents are immediately availabed on the Court record upon acceptance by the Circuit Clerk's Office. E-File in DuPage County in online at www.i2file.net.