top of page
White Pillars
Supreme Court Justice
Appellate Court Justice
Circuit Court Justice
Associate Justice
Captial Building_edited_edited.jpg
Captial Building_edited_edited.jpg
Captial Building_edited_edited.jpg
Captial Building_edited_edited.jpg

  • Illinois’s highest Court

  • Administrative & Supervisory Authority over all Illinois courts

  • Appeals from Appellate Courts

  • 7 Justices for 5 Districts 

    • District 1 (Cook County) - 3 Justices

    • Districts 2-5 - 1 Justice apiece

  • Qualifications

    • United States Citizen

    • Resident of represented district

    • Licensed to practice Law in Illinois

  • Appointed by other Supreme Court Justices

    • Fulfill midterm vacancy

      • Removal, Retirement, Resignation, Not Retained, Death

    • Must run for election next election cycle - Primary and General

  • Elected to 10 year term by popular vote in partisan election

  • Retention election every 10 years

    • Non-competitive & Non-partisan election

    • 60% retention vote needed

  • Appeals from Circuit Courts

  • 54 Justices for 5 Districts 

    • District 1 (Cook County)

      • 6 Divisions - 24 Justices

    • Districts 2-5 (101 counties) - 30 Justices

  • Qualifications

    • United States Citizen

    • Resident of represented district

    • Licensed to practice Law in Illinois

  • Appointed by other Supreme Court Justices

    • Fulfill midterm vacancy

      • Appointment, Removal, Retirement, Resignation, Not Retained, Death

    • Must run for election next election cycle - Primary and General

  • Elected to 10 year term by popular vote in partisan election

  • Retention election every 10 years

    • Non-competitive & Non-partisan election

    • 60% retention vote needed

  • Preside over civil and criminal cases

    •  Small claim cases to contractual disputes to domestic relations to criminal felonies.

  • 25 Judicial Circuits with 63 Subcircuits

    • 7 single county circuits

      • Cook - 18 Subcircuits

      • Dupage (18th Circuit) - 7 Subcircuits

      • Kane (16th Circuit) - 4 Subcircuits

      • Lake (19th Circuit) - 12 Subcircuits

      • McHenry (22nd Circuit) - 4 Subcircuits 

      • St. Clair (20th Circuit)

      • Will (12th Circuit)  - 5 Subcircuits

    • 18 multi-county circuits (2 to 12 counties)

      • 3rd Circuit (Madison & Bond) 

        • 4 Subcircuits

      • 7th Circuit ( Greene, Jersey, Macoupin, Morgan, Sangamon and Scott)

        • 7 Subcircuits

      • 17th Circuit (Winnebago & Boone) 

        • 2 Subcircuits

  • Approximately 500 Judicial Circuit Court Justices

  • Qualifications

    • United States Citizen

    • Resident of circuit/subcircuit

    • Licensed to practice law in Illinois

  • Appointed by Supreme Court Justices

    • Fulfill midterm vacancy

      • Appointment, Removal, Retirement, Resignation, Not Retained, Death

    • Must run in next election cycle 

  • Elected to 6 year term by popular vote in partisan election

  • Retention election every 6 years

    • Non-competitive & Non-partisan election

    • 60% retention vote needed

  • Preside over any non-felony case - assigned by Chief Judge or designated judicial circuit court judge

    • Felon Cases (> 1 yr imprisonment) must be authorized by Supreme Court

  • 25 Judicial Circuits with 63 Subcircuits 

    • Same as Judicial Circuit Court Justices

  • Approximately 400 Judicial Circuit Court Associate Justices

    • Number per Circuit dependent on population

  • Qualifications

    • United States Citizen

    • Resident of circuit/subcircuit

    • Licensed to practice law in Illinois

  • Appointed by Circuit Court or Supreme Court Justices

    • Must be reappointed every 4 years

bottom of page