Skip to Main Content

Statement of Purpose | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

I. Statement of Purpose

It is an obligation of office that each judge in Illinois work to attain, maintain and advance judicial competency. Canon 3 of the Code of Judicial Conduct (Illinois Supreme Court Rule
63) states that a judge should "be faithful to the law and maintain professional competence in it" and "maintain professional competence in judicial administration." Judicial education is a primary means of advancing judicial competency.
The purpose of this Plan is to expand and enhance the judicial education opportunities available to Illinois judges. This Comprehensive Judicial Education Plan will provide judges at all stages of their judicial careers with:

  • a means by which they can remain current in their understanding of developing areas of the law;
  • the opportunity to increase their knowledge of specific substantive and procedural topics;
  • the opportunity to increase their knowledge in matters relating to court administration and management;
  • a forum to communicate and interact with other judges.

This Plan is designed to structure and deliver judicial education in Illinois, making the best use of resources available to state government. It is a framework for judicial education that can be built upon in future years and evolve with the needs of the Illinois judiciary.