Illinois Amendment 1 (1998)
From Ballotpedia
Illinois Amendment 1 appeared on the November 1998 ballot in Illinois, where it passed. It was referred to the ballot by the Illinois State Legislature. It is the only such legislative referral to have appeared on the Illinois ballot between 1980 and 2007.
The measure was overwhelmingly approved by the state's voters. It provided for two non-judicial members to sit on the Courts Commission. The Courts Commission was organized under the Illinois Constitution of 1970, and this change represented the first time the commission allowed non-judicial membership on the commission.
Background
In 1997, James Heiple of the Illinois Supreme Court was the subject of an impeachment investigation by the Illinois House of Representatives. Heiple failed to recuse himself from voting on the appointment of a fellow justice as chair of the Illinois Courts Commission even though he knew the chair would preside over a hearing if the Board filed a complaint against him.
