Locate Information Regarding Illinois Courts

The judiciary wings of practically all states in the U.S. are characterized by systematic hierarchical structures of courts. The regulations prevalent in Illinois prescribe the same legal pattern for this state, too. At various tiers or levels, you can bring a case to court, and if the judgment goes against you and you are not happy with it, you can appeal a higher court for a possible different verdict.

Accessing Illinois Courts

Contrary to what many might believe, contacting the legal authorities in the State of Illinois is not a big task. That is because the state court website will provide various contact information for any purpose you need.

The website of the IL court system is

http://www.state.il.us/court

. Details regarding the various courts in the state and other relevant legal information can be obtained from here.

Broadly speaking, the entire court structure of Illinois can be segregated into three major tiers. These include:

•    Supreme Court
•    The Appellate Courts (these are present in 5 districts), and
•    The Circuit Courts (total number of judicial circuits – 23)

Supreme Court Information

The Supreme Court, as can be easily understood, stands at the top in the Illinois court hierarchy and is often referred to as the ‘last resort’ court. The original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court is quite limited as it usually hears the appeals of cases involving the death penalty and where the law’s constitutionality is questioned.

Authority of the Supreme Court has been granted by the state constitution’s Article VI. There are 7 justices, all of whom are elected from the different judicial districts in Illinois. The elected justices serve 10-year terms and the term of the Chief Justice is for 3 years. Members of the court elect the Chief Justice from amongst themselves.

Appellate Courts

The appellate courts in Illinois hear all criminal and civil appeals from the Circuit Courts. Each case is heard by 3 judges, and 2 of them must agree before a decision can be made by the court in writing. Any decision by the appellate court becomes automatically binding on those courts that are lower in the hierarchy.

There are in total 54 judges in the 5 districts of Illinois. While most of the judges have to be elected, some of them are appointed by the Supreme Court.

Circuit Courts

Circuit Courts are trial courts in the state, and have original jurisdiction and can make judgments on nearly any case. In the state there are 23 such courts within the 102 counties. The cases that are heard concern issues such as mandamus, prohibition, habeas corpus, revenue and others. In some cases the Supreme Court may intervene; when this happens, the Circuit Court is not allowed to provide a decision.