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.
- 2024 (57)
- 2023 (70)
- 2022 (65)
- 2021 (67)
- 2020 (63)
- 2019 (54)
- 2018 (60)
- 2017 (67)
- 2016 (73)
- 2015 (81)
- 2014 (65)
- 2013 (85)
- 2012 (75)
- 2011 (86)
- 2010 (86)
- 2009 (89)
- 2008 (94)
- 2007 (68)
- 2006 (98)
- 2005 (101)
- 2004 (111)
- 2003 (99)
- 2002 (118)
- 2001 (100)
- 2000 (124)
- 1999 (90)
- 1998 (133)
- 1997 (118)
- 1996 (56)
- 1995 (125)
- 1994 (139)
- 1993 (78)
- 1992 (172)
- 1991 (109)
- 1990 (154)
- 1989 (151)
- 1988 (174)
- 1987 (132)
- 1986 (176)
- 1985 (159)
- 1984 (179)
- 1983 (216)
- 1982 (182)
- 1981 (170)
- 1980 (211)
- 1979 (201)
- 1978 (170)
- 1977 (194)
- 1976 (206)
- 1975 (171)
- 1974 (220)
- 1973 (183)
- 1972 (227)
- 1971 (190)
- 1970 (287)
- 1969 (191)
- 1968 (219)
- 1967 (214)
- 1966 (202)
- 1965 (156)
- 1964 (169)
- 1963 (302)
- 1962 (301)
- 1961 (231)
- 1960 (216)
- 1959 (181)
- 1958 (201)
- 1957 (176)
- 1956 (181)
- 1955 (166)
- 1954 (202)
- 1953 (196)
- 1952 (176)
- 1951 (212)
- 1950 (194)
- 1945 (1)
- 1930 (1)
- 1913 (1)
Recent Decisions From the Supreme Court of Illinois
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…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 129676
Docket Number: 129676
Justia Opinion Summary: Matthew Sloan was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder for the shooting death of his brother, David Sloan. The incident occurred after a physical altercation between the brothers, during which Matthew claimed…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 129753
Docket Number: 129753
Justia Opinion Summary: In 2012, Kyjuanzi Harris was convicted by a jury of two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Derrick Armstrong and Bernadette Turner. He was sentenced to life in prison by the Cook County circuit…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 129795
Docket Number: 129795
Justia Opinion Summary: Victor Haynes was convicted of attempted first-degree murder and sentenced to 31 years in prison after a bench trial. The incident occurred on a party bus where Haynes, after an argument, shot Jerome White in the chest…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 129906
Docket Number: 129906
Justia Opinion Summary: Joseph Rothe was convicted of armed robbery with a dangerous weapon other than a firearm and sentenced to life imprisonment. He filed a pro se petition for relief from judgment, arguing that his conviction violated the…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 130137
Docket Number: 130137
Justia Opinion Summary: An Illinois attorney, employed by the Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB) from 2000 to 2020, filed a defamation lawsuit against Sun-Times Media Holdings, LLC, and Tim Novak. The lawsuit stemmed from articles published in…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 130191
Docket Number: 130191
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant was convicted by a jury of aggravated domestic battery for strangling Lacey S., a family or household member. The circuit court of Logan County sentenced the defendant to an extended-term of 10 years’…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 130323
Docket Number: 130323
Justia Opinion Summary: Habdab, LLC filed a complaint for declaratory judgment in the circuit court of Lake County against the County of Lake and the Village of Mundelein, seeking to invalidate certain fees imposed under an intergovernmental…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 130431
Docket Number: 130431
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Jussie Smollett, who was initially indicted on 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly falsely reporting a hate crime to the Chicago police. On March 26, 2019, the Cook County State’s…
Date: November 21, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 130693
Docket Number: 130693
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant, Christian P. Mikolaitis, was charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery after allegedly stabbing Alec Geibel multiple times. The State filed a verified petition to deny pretrial…
Date: November 14, 2024
Citation: 2024 IL 129356
Docket Number: 129356
Justia Opinion Summary: The defendant, Earl Ratliff, was indicted for robbery after allegedly taking a woman's purse by force. During his arraignment, he was informed of the charges, the sentencing range, and his right to counsel, and a public…
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.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
