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.

The Illinois Supreme Court today issued an order pausing the implementation of the 2021 judicial redistricting. The order can be found online.

The past year has tested our health, patience, and resolve. So, why not blow off some steam by entering the Illinois Bar Journal’s Creative Writing Contest? Send us your poems, short stories, creative essays, or other forms of written expression capturing the essence of lawyering during the COVID-19 pandemic and we’ll pick a finalist who will receive a gift card and whose winning submission will be printed in an upcoming issue of the Illinois Bar Journal. The rules are simple:

The Illinois Supreme Court is seeking an experienced attorney to serve as the court's clerk. The clerk of the Supreme Court is an officer appointed by the Court (Ill. Const. 1970, Art. VI, § 18 (a)), reports to the court, and serves at the court’s pleasure. This senior level position is the court’s principal case processing and records manager who operates the clerk’s main office in Springfield and a satellite office in Chicago through a staff of 13 deputies whom the clerk recruits, selects, trains, and supervises. The clerk is also responsible for planning, developing, and implementing policies and procedures necessary to execute the responsibilities of the  office.