Meet the Appellate Court Clerks | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

Jeffrey H. Kaplan obtained his bachelor’s degree with distinction at the University of Michigan and his law degree with high honors at George Washington University. After practicing law at Legal Services of Southcentral Michigan, he joined the Second District Appellate Court. He served the court as a research staff attorney, a judicial clerk, and the director of research. In 2020, he was appointed as clerk of the court.

Zachary A. Hooper was appointed Clerk of the Third District Appellate Court in March 2023. Prior to his appointment, he served the Third District as the Director of the Legal Research Department and as a Staff Attorney. He received his Juris Doctor degree with great distinction from Northern Illinois University College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree with great distinction from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Carla Bender earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Legal Studies and Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Illinois. Prior to being elected Clerk of the Circuit Court in Logan County in 1992, she was a Probation officer and later a Field Coordinator in the Probation Division of the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts. She served four terms as Circuit Court Clerk until she was appointed Clerk of the Fourth District Appellate Court during the first year of her fifth term in 2009.

Cortney Kuntze obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree with honors at the Arkansas State University. She then earned both her Juris Doctor and LL.M degrees from Southern Illinois University School of Law. Cortney joined the 5th District Appellate Court in 2010 serving both as a research attorney and later as an appellate attorney. She was appointed as Clerk of the 5th District Appellate Court in January 2024.