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Courts in Illinois
| More information on Illinois's state courts: |
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| Selection methods Elections Salaries Federal courts |
In Illinois, there are three federal district courts, a state supreme court, an appellate court, and trial courts. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.
Click a link for information about that court type.
The image below depicts the flow of cases through Illinois' state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.
Judicial selection process
- See also: Illinois judicial elections
The seven justices of the Illinois Supreme Court and the 54 judges of the Illinois Appellate Court are selected in an identical manner. Judges are chosen by popular vote in partisan elections and serve 10-year terms, after which they must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections to remain on the court.[1][2]
The Illinois Circuit Court is the unified trial court in the state, divided into 25 judicial circuits. Circuit judges are elected in partisan elections to six-year terms. Upon the completion of these terms, judges who wish to remain on the court must compete in uncontested, nonpartisan retention elections.[1][3]
To read more about judicial elections in Illinois, click here.
Federal courts
The federal district courts in Illinois are the:
Appeals go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit.
Active judges
Northern district
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 3, 2006 - |
Northwestern University, 1984 |
Loyola University, Chicago, 1992 |
||
| December 5, 2007 - |
Yale University, 1987 |
Harvard Law School, 1993 |
||
| July 13, 2010 - |
Northern Illinois University, 1981 |
University of Washington School of Law, 1984 |
||
| December 20, 2010 - |
University of Michigan,E., 1991 |
Northwestern University School of Law, 1994 |
||
| May 16, 2012 - |
Duke University, 1982 |
Northwestern University Law, 1990 |
||
| October 8, 2013 - |
Indiana University, 1991 |
Loyola University Law, Chicago, 1994 |
||
| October 15, 2013 - |
University of Chicago, 1995 |
Yale Law School, 1998 |
||
| May 1, 2014 - |
Stanford University, 1994 |
University of Chicago Law School, 1998 |
||
| December 19, 2014 - |
University of Notre Dame, 1988 |
University of Notre Dame, 1992 |
||
| December 19, 2014 - |
University of Miami, 1988 |
George Washington University Law Center, 1991 |
||
| August 19, 2019 - |
Indiana University, 1999 |
University of Chicago Law School, 2002 |
||
| August 20, 2019 - |
University of Michigan, 1984 |
University of Chicago Law School, 1988 |
||
| September 13, 2019 - |
Wheaton College, 1993 |
University of Michigan Law School, 1997 |
||
| February 18, 2020 - |
Northwestern University, 1991 |
Northwestern University, 2003 |
||
| September 23, 2020 - |
University of Illinois, Chicago, 1985 |
DePaul University College of Law, 1988 |
||
| September 23, 2020 - |
Rockford College, 1987 |
University of Illinois-Chicago, John Marshall Law School, 1990 |
||
| February 24, 2023 - |
Miami University of Ohio, 1998 |
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University, 2002 |
||
| May 26, 2023 - |
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1992 |
University of Michigan Law School, 1995 |
||
| June 6, 2023 - | ||||
| October 10, 2023 - |
Michigan State University, 1984 |
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, 1987 |
||
| March 20, 2024 - |
Northwestern University |
Northwestern University Law School |
||
| August 2, 2024 - |
Harvard University, 2000 |
Northwestern University School of Law, 2006 |
||
| November 20, 2024 - |
Northwestern University, 2000 |
Northwestern University School of Law, 2003 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 15
- Republican appointed: 8
Central district
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 3, 2011 - |
Marquette University, 1992 |
Saint Louis University Law, 1997 |
||
| October 8, 2013 - |
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1986 |
University of Illinois Law, 1989 |
||
| March 9, 2023 - |
Illinois Wesleyan University, 2005 |
Northern Illinois University College of Law, 2009 |
||
| November 15, 2024 - |
University of Illinois, Chicago, 1992 |
DePaul College of Law, 1997 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 4
- Republican appointed: 0
Southern district
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2014 - |
University of Illinois, 1990 |
Southern Illinois University Law School, 1993 |
||
| June 19, 2014 - |
University of Illinois, 1983 |
Vanderbilt University Law School, 1987 |
||
| September 18, 2020 - |
University of Dayton, 1983 |
St. Louis University School of Law, 1987 |
||
| September 23, 2020 - |
Eastern Illinois University, 1982 |
Valparaiso University, 1985 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 2
- Republican appointed: 2
District map
Judicial selection
Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click here.
Bankruptcy courts
There are three federal bankruptcy courts in Illinois. These courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy courts in Illinois are:
- United States bankruptcy court, Central District of Illinois
- United States bankruptcy court, Northern District of Illinois
- United States bankruptcy court, Southern District of Illinois
State supreme court
- See also: Illinois Supreme Court
Founded in 1818, the Illinois Supreme Court is the state's highest court and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Mary Jane Theis.
As of December 2022, five judges on the court were Democrats and two judges were Republicans.
The court meets in the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield, Illinois on the second Monday in September, November, January, March, and May.[4]
In Illinois, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
The court has limited original jurisdiction, hears appeals of right in cases where the constitutionality of laws has been called into question, and has a docket of discretionary appeal from the Illinois Appellate Court. Along with the state legislature, the court sets rules for the state judiciary. The court has general administrative and supervisory authority over all courts in the state. This authority is exercised by the chief justice with the assistance of the Administrative Director and staff appointed by the supreme court. The supreme court hears appeals from lower courts and may exercise original jurisdiction in cases relating to revenue, mandamus, prohibition or habeas corpus. Its members also have the authority to appoint trial judges to the appellate court on a temporary basis.[5]
The table below lists the current judges of the Illinois Supreme Court and the appointing governor.
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois Supreme Court 1st District | Joy Cunningham | Democratic | December 1, 2022 | Illinois Supreme Court |
| Illinois Supreme Court 1st District | P. Scott Neville | Democratic | June 15, 2018 | Illinois Supreme Court |
| Illinois Supreme Court 1st District | Mary Jane Theis | Democratic | 2010 | Elected |
| Illinois Supreme Court 2nd District | Elizabeth M. Rochford | Democratic | December 5, 2022 | |
| Illinois Supreme Court 3rd District | Mary Kay O'Brien | Democratic | December 5, 2022 | |
| Illinois Supreme Court 4th District | Lisa Holder White | Republican | July 8, 2022 | Illinois Supreme Court |
| Illinois Supreme Court 5th District | David K. Overstreet | Republican | December 7, 2020 | Elected |
State court of appeals
- See also: Illinois Appellate Court
The Illinois Appellate Court is the intermediate appellate court in the state. There are five appellate districts and judges are elected to 10-year terms. The court hears appeals from the circuit courts, except for cases explicitly appealed to the state supreme court. The appellate court's rulings can be appealed to the Illinois Supreme Court.[1][6][7]
The following judges sit on the court:
First District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
January 8, 2013 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2009 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
November 6, 2012 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
February 1, 2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 1, 2014 - Present |
||
|
2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 7, 2020 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
August 10, 2009 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
1998 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 2, 2002 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 5, 2022 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 5, 2022 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
January 7, 2015 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
September 6, 2024 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
June 15, 2018 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
September 2, 2025 - Present |
Illinoi Supreme Court |
Second District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
December 5, 1994 - Present |
||
|
December 5, 1988 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2010 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 5, 2022 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2008 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2008 - Present |
Elected |
Third District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
December 5, 2022 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 5, 1994 - Present |
||
|
January 1, 2025 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
December 2, 2024 - Present |
||
|
December 22, 2022 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
August 1, 2022 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
Fourth District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
1989 - Present |
||
|
2013 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2018 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
December 1, 1986 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
July 14, 2022 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
December 5, 2022 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
Fifth District
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
December 5, 2022 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
August 8, 2025 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
May 1, 2019 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
January 2, 2015 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
|
|
2016 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
2012 - Present |
Elected |
|
|
March 1, 2024 - Present |
Illinois Supreme Court |
Trial courts
- See also: Illinois Circuit Court
The circuit courts are the unified trial court system in Illinois and hold original jurisdiction. The circuit courts are divided into 25 judicial districts. Seven are single-county circuits and the remaining 18 circuits are multi-county districts. The court shares jurisdiction with the state supreme court to hear cases about habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, and revenue. The circuit courts also conduct reviews of certain state agency administrative orders.[3][8][9]
Circuit judges are elected to a six-year term and may run for retention for additional six-year terms. Judges are originally elected from within their judicial circuit, from their county of residence, or from a sub-circuit within the judicial circuit, depending on the relevant court vacancy. Associate judges are appointed by circuit judges in the relevant circuit. Circuit judges elect one of their members to serve as the chief judge of the court. Chief judges have general administrative authority in the judicial circuit and can assign cases to general or specialized divisions in the circuit. The chief judge is subject to the administrative authority of the Illinois Supreme Court.[8]
In other states
See also
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Illinois Supreme Court
- Illinois Appellate Court
- Illinois Circuit Court
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Illinois Courts, "About the courts in Illinois," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Appellate Court," accessed April 7, 2023
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Illinois Courts, "Circuit Court," accessed April 7, 2023
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Supreme Court," accessed September 8, 2021
- ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Courts: (705 ILCS 25/) Appellate Court Act," accessed September 9, 2021
- ↑ Illinois courts, "Illinois Appellate Court General Information," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, "History of the Illinois Courts," archived August 16, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Illinois courts, "Illinois Circuit Court General Information," accessed March 3, 2021
- ↑ Illinois Courts, "Illinois Circuit Court General Information"
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Central District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois, Southern District of Illinois
State courts:
Illinois Supreme Court • Illinois Appellate Court • Illinois Circuit Court
State resources:
Courts in Illinois • Illinois judicial elections • Judicial selection in Illinois
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