There Is a Newer Version of the Illinois Compiled Statutes
  1. 2025 Illinois Comp. Stat.
  2. 2024 Illinois Comp. Stat.
  3. 2023 Illinois Comp. Stat.
  4. 2005 Illinois Comp. Stat. (here)
  5. View All Versions
View Our Newest Version Here

2005 Illinois 55 ILCS 5/      Counties Code. Division 3-9 - State\'s Attorney


      (55 ILCS 5/Div. 3‑9 heading)
Division 3‑9. State's Attorney

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9001) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9001)
    Sec. 3‑9001. Oath; bond. Before entering upon the respective duties of their office, the state's attorneys shall each be commissioned by the governor, and shall take the following oath or affirmation:
    I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be), that I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Illinois, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of state's attorney according to the best of my ability.
    Each State's attorney shall also execute a bond, to the People of the State of Illinois, (or, if the county is self‑insured, the county through its self‑insurance program may provide bonding) with good and sufficient securities in the penal sum of $5,000, to be approved by the circuit court for his respective county, which approval shall be indorsed upon the bond. The bond, with the approval thereof indorsed, shall be entered of record in the circuit court, and then forwarded by the county clerk to the secretary of state, to be filed in his office. Each of the bonds shall be conditioned upon the faithful discharge of the duties of the office, and the paying over all moneys as provided by law, which bond shall run to and be for the benefit of the state, county, corporation or person injured by a breach of any of the conditions thereof.
(Source: P.A. 88‑387.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9002) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9002)
    Sec. 3‑9002. Commencement of duties. The State's attorney shall enter upon the duties of his office on the first day in the month of December following his election on which the State's attorney's office is required, by statute or by action of the county board, to be open.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9003) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9003)
    Sec. 3‑9003. Additional bond. Whenever the circuit court shall deem the bond filed by any State's attorney insufficient, the circuit court may require additional bond, in any penalty not exceeding that specified in Section 3‑9001.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9004) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9004)
    Sec. 3‑9004. Failure to give bond or take oath. If any person elected to the office of State's attorney shall fail to give bond, or take the oath required of him, within twenty days after he is declared elected, the office shall be deemed vacant, and if, being required to give additional bond, as provided in Section 3‑9003 hereof, he fails to do so within twenty days after notice of such requirements, his office may, in the discretion of the governor, be declared vacant and filled as provided by law.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9005) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9005)
    Sec. 3‑9005. Powers and duties of State's attorney.
    (a) The duty of each State's attorney shall be:
        (1) To commence and prosecute all actions, suits,
    
indictments and prosecutions, civil and criminal, in the circuit court for his county, in which the people of the State or county may be concerned.
        (2) To prosecute all forfeited bonds and
    
recognizances, and all actions and proceedings for the recovery of debts, revenues, moneys, fines, penalties and forfeitures accruing to the State or his county, or to any school district or road district in his county; also, to prosecute all suits in his county against railroad or transportation companies, which may be prosecuted in the name of the People of the State of Illinois.
        (3) To commence and prosecute all actions and
    
proceedings brought by any county officer in his official capacity.
        (4) To defend all actions and proceedings brought
    
against his county, or against any county or State officer, in his official capacity, within his county.
        (5) To attend the examination of all persons brought
    
before any judge on habeas corpus, when the prosecution is in his county.
        (6) To attend before judges and prosecute charges of
    
felony or misdemeanor, for which the offender is required to be recognized to appear before the circuit court, when in his power so to do.
        (7) To give his opinion, without fee or reward, to
    
any county officer in his county, upon any question or law relating to any criminal or other matter, in which the people or the county may be concerned.
        (8) To assist the attorney general whenever it may
    
be necessary, and in cases of appeal from his county to the Supreme Court, to which it is the duty of the attorney general to attend, he shall furnish the attorney general at least 10 days before such is due to be filed, a manuscript of a proposed statement, brief and argument to be printed and filed on behalf of the people, prepared in accordance with the rules of the Supreme Court. However, if such brief, argument or other document is due to be filed by law or order of court within this 10 day period, then the State's attorney shall furnish such as soon as may be reasonable.
        (9) To pay all moneys received by him in trust,
    
without delay, to the officer who by law is entitled to the custody thereof.
        (10) To notify, by first class mail, complaining
    
witnesses of the ultimate disposition of the cases arising from an indictment or an information.
        (11) To perform such other and further duties as
    
may, from time to time, be enjoined on him by law.
        (12) To appear in all proceedings by collectors of
    
taxes against delinquent taxpayers for judgments to sell real estate, and see that all the necessary preliminary steps have been legally taken to make the judgment legal and binding.
    (b) The State's Attorney of each county shall have authority to appoint one or more special investigators to serve subpoenas, make return of process and conduct investigations which assist the State's Attorney in the performance of his duties. A special investigator shall not carry firearms except with permission of the State's Attorney and only while carrying appropriate identification indicating his employment and in the performance of his assigned duties.
    Subject to the qualifications set forth in this subsection, special investigators shall be peace officers and shall have all the powers possessed by investigators under the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor's Act.
    No special investigator employed by the State's Attorney shall have peace officer status or exercise police powers unless he or she successfully completes the basic police training course mandated and approved by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training Standards Board or such board waives the training requirement by reason of the special investigator's prior law enforcement experience or training or both. Any State's Attorney appointing a special investigator shall consult with all affected local police agencies, to the extent consistent with the public interest, if the special investigator is assigned to areas within that agency's jurisdiction.
    Before a person is appointed as a special investigator, his fingerprints shall be taken and transmitted to the Department of State Police. The Department shall examine its records and submit to the State's Attorney of the county in which the investigator seeks appointment any conviction information concerning the person on file with the Department. No person shall be appointed as a special investigator if he has been convicted of a felony or other offense involving moral turpitude. A special investigator shall be paid a salary and be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred in performing his assigned duties. The county board shall approve the salary and actual expenses and appropriate the salary and expenses in the manner prescribed by law or ordinance.
    (c) The State's Attorney may request and receive from employers, labor unions, telephone companies, and utility companies location information concerning putative fathers and noncustodial parents for the purpose of establishing a child's paternity or establishing, enforcing, or modifying a child support obligation. In this subsection, "location information" means information about (i) the physical whereabouts of a putative father or noncustodial parent, (ii) the putative father or noncustodial parent's employer, or (iii) the salary, wages, and other compensation paid and the health insurance coverage provided to the putative father or noncustodial parent by the employer of the putative father or noncustodial parent or by a labor union of which the putative father or noncustodial parent is a member.
    (d) For each State fiscal year, the State's Attorney of Cook County shall appear before the General Assembly and request appropriations to be made from the Capital Litigation Trust Fund to the State Treasurer for the purpose of providing assistance in the prosecution of capital cases in Cook County and for the purpose of providing assistance to the State in post‑conviction proceedings in capital cases under Article 122 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 and in relation to petitions filed under Section 2‑1401 of the Code of Civil Procedure in relation to capital cases. The State's Attorney may appear before the General Assembly at other times during the State's fiscal year to request supplemental appropriations from the Trust Fund to the State Treasurer.
    (e) The State's Attorney shall have the authority to enter into a written agreement with the Department of Revenue for pursuit of civil liability under Section 17‑1a of the Criminal Code of 1961 against persons who have issued to the Department checks or other orders in violation of the provisions of paragraph (d) of subsection (B) of Section 17‑1 of the Criminal Code of 1961, with the Department to retain the amount owing upon the dishonored check or order along with the dishonored check fee imposed under the Uniform Penalty and Interest Act, with the balance of damages, fees, and costs collected under Section 17‑1a of the Criminal Code of 1961 to be retained by the State's Attorney. The agreement shall not affect the allocation of fines and costs imposed in any criminal prosecution.
(Source: P.A. 92‑492, eff. 1‑1‑02; 93‑972, eff. 8‑20‑04.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9006) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9006)
    Sec. 3‑9006. Internal operations of office. The State's attorney shall control the internal operations of his office and procure the necessary equipment, materials and services to perform the duties of his office.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9007) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9007)
    Sec. 3‑9007. Home rule unit liquor tax ordinance; prosecutions. Where any county, municipality or other unit of local government has adopted any ordinance or other regulation imposing a tax upon the privilege of engaging in business as a manufacturer, importing distributor, retailer or distributor of beer, alcohol or other spirits, pursuant to its home rule powers under Article VII, Section 6 of the Constitution of the State of Illinois, nothing shall prohibit a State's attorney from prosecuting any offense under the Criminal Code of 1961 which may also constitute a violation of the applicable ordinance or regulation.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9008) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9008)
    Sec. 3‑9008. Appointment of attorney to perform duties. Whenever the State's attorney is sick or absent, or unable to attend, or is interested in any cause or proceeding, civil or criminal, which it is or may be his duty to prosecute or defend, the court in which said cause or proceeding is pending may appoint some competent attorney to prosecute or defend such cause or proceeding, and the attorney so appointed shall have the same power and authority in relation to such cause or proceeding as the State's attorney would have had if present and attending to the same, and in case of a vacancy of more than one year occurring in any county in the office of State's attorney, by death, resignation or otherwise, and it becomes necessary for the transaction of the public business, that some competent attorney act as State's attorney in and for such county during the period between the time of the occurrence of such vacancy and the election and qualification of a State's attorney, as provided by law, the vacancy shall be filled upon the written request of a majority of the circuit judges of the circuit in which is located the county where such vacancy exists, by appointment as provided in The Election Code of some competent attorney to perform and discharge all the duties of a State's attorney in the said county, such appointment and all authority thereunder to cease upon the election and qualification of a State's attorney, as provided by law. Any attorney appointed for any reason under this Section shall possess all the powers and discharge all the duties of a regularly elected State's attorney under the laws of the State to the extent necessary to fulfill the purpose of such appointment, and shall be paid by the county he serves not to exceed in any one period of 12 months, for the reasonable amount of time actually expended in carrying out the purpose of such appointment, the same compensation as provided by law for the State's attorney of the county, apportioned, in the case of lesser amounts of compensation, as to the time of service reasonably and actually expended.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9009) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9009)
    Sec. 3‑9009. Private fee and employment prohibited. The State's attorney shall not receive any fee or reward from or in behalf of any private person for any services within his official duties and shall not be retained or employed, except for the public, in a civil case depending upon the same state of facts on which a criminal prosecution shall depend.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9010) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9010)
    Sec. 3‑9010. State's Attorney serving 2 or more counties. Whenever the county boards of 2 or more counties desire that one State's attorney be elected to serve such counties, as authorized in Section 19 of Article VI of the Constitution, each such county board shall adopt a resolution to the effect that the question of electing one State's attorney for such counties be submitted to the electors of the respective counties at the next general election in November of an even‑numbered year other than a year in which State's attorneys are regularly elected. Notice of the adoption of such resolution shall be certified to the county clerk of each of the counties and to any board of election commissioners in any of such counties, who shall submit the question to the voters in accordance with the general election law.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9011) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9011)
    Sec. 3‑9011. Form of proposition; election. The proposition shall be in substantially the following form:
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
    Shall one State's Attorney          YES
be elected to serve the counties  ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
of .... and ....?                       NO
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
    If a majority of the votes cast on the question in each county is in favor thereof, one State's attorney shall be elected for such counties at the next general election at which State's Attorneys are elected, and every four years thereafter.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

    (55 ILCS 5/3‑9012) (from Ch. 34, par. 3‑9012)
    Sec. 3‑9012. Compensation. A State's attorney who serves 2 or more counties shall receive such compensation from the State Treasury as is provided by law for the State's attorney of a single county. He shall be paid by the counties such compensation as may be agreed upon by the county boards within the salary range prescribed by law applicable to a single county with a population equal to the combined population of the counties he serves. Unless the county boards agree upon a lesser amount, he shall be paid the highest permissible salary within such range. The amount to be paid by the counties shall be apportioned among them on the basis of their population. Seventy‑five percent (75%) of the amount provided by law to be paid from the State treasury for the services of the State's attorney in the case of a single county is payable to each of the counties served by the same State's attorney, except that the amounts paid to those counties under this Section in any year may not exceed, in the aggregate, the annual salary paid to that State's attorney from both county and State funds, in which case reduction of the State's contribution to each county shall be reduced proportionately according to population of each participating county.
(Source: P.A. 86‑962.)

Disclaimer: These codes may not be the most recent version. Illinois may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.