Remote Appearance Committee Seeks Suggestions for Improving Remote Court Appearances
The Remote Appearance Committee of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ Commission) announced today the launch of an opportunity for court users to share suggestions on how to improve remote court appearances for the benefit of all.
“The Illinois Supreme Court is committed to remote court proceedings as a way to increase access to justice statewide,” Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said. “We encourage court users to share suggestions on how to improve this experience.”
This new suggestion button, shown below, is available on the Supreme Court’s website’s remote proceedings page as well as the remote appearance resources page. The Remote Appearance Committee and staff from the Access to Justice Division of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (ATJ-AOIC) will monitor responses and use insights to inform ongoing efforts to improve remote court experiences statewide.
The Illinois Supreme Court Policy on Remote Court Appearances, which was revised in June 2025, created this new opportunity to collect remote court user feedback and help identify remote appearance patterns and trends.
According to Judge Jorge L. Ortiz, Chair of the ATJ Commission, “the Commission’s Remote Appearance Committee looks forward to hearing from the community and being responsive to the suggestions provided by real users of remote court. We know that with the Supreme Court’s support, we can continue to make strides in increasing access to justice through remote court appearances.”
ATJ-AOIC encourages lawyers, parties, witnesses, court staff, and other court users to submit their suggestions to improve remote court appearances. Individual concerns or questions will not be addressed through this new suggestion button, and people who need help appearing remotely should contact their local court or Illinois Court Help.
The ATJ Commission, established in 2012 by the Illinois Supreme Court, is focused on helping self-represented litigants, limited English proficient litigants, and litigants with disabilities access courts while also supporting the judiciary and other court staff in ensuring justice for all.
(FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: James Brunner, Public Information Officer of the Illinois Supreme Court at 217.208.3354 or jbrunner@illinoiscourts.gov.)
Member Comments (3)
Remote appearances especially for status or simple hearings make sense for all parties, keep billable hours down, provides for greater attorney efficiency and can allow an attorney more geographic flexibility to appear in different courts on the same day.
That said, attorneys should be held to strict standards, or pro se litigants. I have seen too many attorneys driving and in their cars, talking on the phone and zoom and other distracting behavior and at least one pro se who used a baseball cap and was barely visible and one who was at the grocery store while in court. Judges should hold appearing parties to a standard that allows proceedings to have everyone's attention and if they don't, the should be either ordered in person after that or treated as not appearing by the judge.
There is inconsistent requirement that all persons on Zoom be visible. Increasingly both counsel and participants do not have their cameras activated. I am requesting that all persons be visible, even if they are on Zoom
Remote appearances increase access to justice and are helpful for caregivers and employees. There is less missing work for litigants. For major hearings/trials it is helpful to be in person but for routine matters, such as status, presentments, prove ups etc zoom should be used by all courts, not just some courtrooms in some counties.