Supreme Court | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

The Supreme Court of Illinois, in addition to being the state’s highest Court, is responsible for the state’s trial courts, one appellate court with five districts, and several supporting units. General administrative and supervisory authority over the court system is vested in the Supreme Court. Several advisory bodies assist with this mission by making recommendations to the Court. These include the Judicial Conference of Illinois and the various committees of the Court. The Supreme Court also makes appointments to other committees, commissions, and boards. The Chief Justice is responsible for exercising the Court’s general administrative and supervisory authority in accordance with the court’s rules. The Supreme Court appoints an Administrative Director to assist the Chief Justice in their duties. The staff of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts supports this function. Key support personnel exist at each level of the court to assist judges with the administration of justice. At the Supreme Court level, this includes the clerk, research director, marshal, librarian, reporter of decisions and their staffs.

The state is divided into five judicial districts, with three justices elected from the first district (Cook County) and one justice elected from each of the other four districts. Justices are elected in partisan elections for 10 years and may be retained in office for additional terms of 10 years. A chief justice is elected by the other justices for a term of three years.

The Court convenes in the Illinois Supreme Court Building in Springfield on the second Monday in the months of September, November, January, March, and May.