Supreme Court of Illinois Decisions
Seven justices serve on the Illinois Supreme Court, which is located in Springfield. The Court generally reviews appeals from the Illinois Appellate Court at its discretion, but it must hear an appeal when a case involves the constitutionality of a law. It also holds original jurisdiction over matters related to writs of mandamus and habeas corpus, as well as certain other narrow situations. The Chief Justice and the staff of the Supreme Court oversee the other Illinois courts. The Court works together with the Illinois legislature in making rules for the judicial branch.
To be qualified to serve as a justice on the Illinois Supreme Court, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen who is licensed to practice law in the state. They also must be a resident of the district in which they run for election. The Illinois legislature formerly required all justices (and other judges) to retire at the age of 75, but the Illinois Supreme Court struck down this rule in 2009. Justices serve 10-year terms, for which they are elected in partisan elections. Illinois is divided into five judicial districts for the purposes of these elections. The district that contains Chicago and Cook County elects three justices, while each of the other districts elects one justice. At the end of their term, a justice will receive another term if they secure at least 60 percent of the votes in a retention election. The justices of the Court elect the Chief Justice to serve a three-year term.
When a vacancy arises on the Court, the remaining justices will appoint an interim justice to fill the seat. Illinois is the only state in the U.S. that allows its state Supreme Court to make interim appointments to its own seats. To retain their seat, the interim justice must seek a full term in the first general election that is held more than 60 days after they are appointed.
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Recent Decisions From the Supreme Court of Illinois
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 129526
Docket Number: 129526
Justia Opinion Summary: The plaintiffs, Carmen Mercado and Jorge Lopez, filed a class action complaint against their former employer, S&C Electric Company, in the circuit court of Cook County. They alleged that S&C underpaid their overtime…
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 129755
Docket Number: 129755
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves D.H.E., the biological father of V.S., a minor. The Cook County circuit court found V.S. neglected due to an injurious environment and dependent due to his mother's disability. Consequently, V.S. was…
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 129767
Docket Number: 129767
Justia Opinion Summary: In 1999, Sedrick White, then 20 years old, entered a blind guilty plea to one count of first-degree murder and was sentenced to 40 years in prison by the Cook County circuit court. Over 20 years later, White filed a pro…
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 130036
Docket Number: 130036
Justia Opinion Summary: In June 2019, the Illinois General Assembly amended the Illinois Gambling Act to authorize the Illinois Gaming Board to issue six new casino licenses, including one in Waukegan. Waukegan Potawatomi Casino, LLC…
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 130288
Docket Number: 130288
Justia Opinion Summary: Plaintiffs, a class of individuals, filed mortgage foreclosure complaints in Illinois circuit courts and paid "add-on" filing fees mandated by section 15-1504.1 of the Code of Civil Procedure. They challenged the…
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 130316
Docket Number: 130316
Justia Opinion Summary: Mike Ontiveroz filed a petition to contest the 2021 election results for village president of Glendale Heights, where Jean Kaczmarek, the Du Page County Clerk, certified the results showing Chodri Ma Khokhar winning by…
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 130337
Docket Number: 130337
Justia Opinion Summary: Rebecca Petta filed a class-action complaint in the circuit court of Champaign County against Christie Business Holdings Company, P.C., doing business as Christie Clinic. Petta alleged that Christie negligently failed to…
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 130509
Docket Number: 130509
Justia Opinion Summary: Rodney Martin worked for B.F. Goodrich Company from 1966 to 2012 and was exposed to vinyl chloride monomer until 1974. He was diagnosed with angiosarcoma of the liver in December 2019 and died in July 2020. His widow,…
Date: January 24, 2025
Citation: 2025 IL 130618
Docket Number: 130618
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves the transition from a pretrial system with monetary bail to one without it, as per amendments to the Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure. Damarco Watkins-Romaine, charged with multiple serious offenses,…
Date: December 19, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 127304
Docket Number: 127304
Justia Opinion Summary: Defendant Torolan Williams was convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of five victims and sentenced to a mandatory term of natural life imprisonment. He filed a pro se postconviction petition claiming that his…
Date: December 19, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 127838
Docket Number: 127838
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant, Angelo Clark, was charged with multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery following a gang-related shooting in 2013 that injured two people. Clark moved to quash his arrest,…
Date: December 19, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 128805
Docket Number: 128805
Justia Opinion Summary: On June 17, 2016, Olvan Quezada was involved in a series of events at the Briarwood Apartments in Waukegan, Illinois, which led to his arrest. Police responded to a domestic disturbance call and later heard gunshots.…
Date: December 5, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 129237
Docket Number: 129237
Justia Opinion Summary: Vincent Molina was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Illinois State Police trooper Ryan Wagand for speeding. During the stop, Wagand detected the odor of raw cannabis emanating from the vehicle. Based on this odor,…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 129562
Docket Number: 129562
Justia Opinion Summary: Marathon Petroleum Company LP (Marathon) was audited by the Cook County Department of Revenue (Department) for gasoline and diesel transactions between January 2006 and July 2014. The Department determined that Marathon…
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
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