Executive Office | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

(312) 793-3250 (Chicago Office)
(217) 558-4490 (Springfield Office)

AOIC Director Marcia M. Meis

Marcia M. Meis was appointed Director of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) on August 1, 2017.  Ms. Meis is a graduate of the University of Missouri (Bachelor of Journalism) and DePaul University College of Law.  After working briefly in private practice, Ms. Meis served as an Illinois Appellate Court law clerk for several years before joining the AOIC as an Executive Office Attorney in 1999. She subsequently served as Chief Legal Counsel before becoming AOIC Deputy Director in 2014.

In accordance with Article VI, section 16 of the Illinois Constitution, the Supreme Court appoints the Administrative Director who serves at its pleasure to assist the Chief Justice in his or her duties. In addition to these administrative duties, the Administrative Director serves as Secretary to the Illinois Courts Commission, as well as an  ex officio member of the Illinois Judicial Conference and the Supreme Court Historical Preservation Commission.

The AOIC Executive Office is comprised of the Administrative Director, Director, Deputy Director, Chief Legal Counsel, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Statewide Behavioral Health Administrator, and other legal and
administrative staff. Under the Administrative Director’s leadership, the Executive Office is responsible for reviewing, approving, coordinating, and guiding operations of the Administrative Office’s divisions and serves as a central resource for a wide range of operational issues that impact the administration of the Illinois judicial branch.

The Executive Office, on behalf of the Supreme Court, manages and coordinates communications with court stakeholders, as well as state officials and agencies, on matters that impact the Illinois Courts and the justice system. One of the major duties performed for the Supreme Court is the consideration of non-routine administrative matters presented during each Court term. The Administrative Director prepares and presents agenda issues to the Court for discussion and deliberation to assure that the business of the judicial branch is thoroughly and timely managed. Agenda items approved by the Court for action are then implemented by the Director through the Executive Office.

The Executive Office plans and coordinates Administrative Office staff support for Supreme Court Boards, Commissions, Committees, Task Forces, and the Illinois Judicial Conference. Effective October 1, 2018, the Judicial Conference was reconstituted to focus on strategic planning for the judicial branch. Specifically, the Judicial Conference was reconstituted as a smaller, more active body to create and implement a long-term statewide Strategic Agenda for the judicial branch. On October 19, 2022, the Judicial Conference unveiled the Supreme Court’s new Three-Year Strategic Agenda, which was developed by the Judicial Conference and approved by the Court. The Strategic Agenda, entitled “Charting the Course: Innovations and Transformations within the Illinois Judicial Branch,” will serve as a guide for the future of the judicial branch through the year 2025. The Administrative Director assigns senior level staff to assist the Judicial Conference with its mandate. The recommendations flowing from the Judicial Conference to the Supreme Court will relate to the improvement of the administration of justice in Illinois.

In its administration of Supreme Court Rule 39 (Appointment of Associate Judges), the Executive Office conducted the election of 15 associate judges in 8 of Illinois’ 25 judicial circuits during 2022. Also, as provided by Rule 39, the Executive Office is responsible for managing the quadrennial reappointment process for Illinois’ more than 400 associate judges, which will be held in 2023. Other matters administered through the Executive Office include applications for licenses issued to law students seeking to provide limited legal representation under Supreme Court Rule 711.

The Executive Office’s activities and responsibilities include securing and tracking legal representation through the Office of the Attorney General for members of the judicial branch named in a civil case or controversy arising out of the performance of their official judicial duties; and negotiating collective bargaining agreements state-wide on behalf of chief circuit judges and circuit clerks. Executive Office staff also negotiates, prepares, and manages office leases and contracts for the Supreme and Appellate Courts, mandatory arbitration programs, and the Administrative Office. All vendor contracts generated by the Administrative Office and state judicial branch managers for use in securing goods and services are reviewed and approved by the Executive Office.

On June 22, 2020, the Supreme Court released a statement on racial justice and began its recruitment for a new Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for the judicial branch. The Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer became part of the Executive Office on November 2, 2020, and is tasked with working with the Supreme Court, the Administrative Director and court leaders throughout the judicial branch to achieve the Supreme Court’s strategic goals related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

On August 27, 2021, the Supreme Court announced that it hired the state’s first Statewide Behavioral Health Administrator, who became part of the Executive Office. This administrator will serve as the Illinois Judicial Branch’s dedicated mental health voice and resource, committed to furthering local, state, and national behavioral health and justice initiatives that affect the courts. In this capacity, the administrator will act as the project director of the Illinois Supreme Court Mental Health Task Force and provide professional guidance on the Illinois Courts’ response to behavioral health issues that intersect with the justice system.

The Executive Office also oversees the Logistics/Property Control Unit. This unit serves as the central distribution and shipping center for the Administrative Office; produces print quality manuals, brochures, and publications; maintains inventories of office supplies; and coordinates the transfer of equipment and furniture among judicial branch offices. Finally, it is responsible for maintaining the physical inventory of all state-owned judicial branch property and ensures that judicial branch property is accurately recorded and bears the proper identification tag.