Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court announced amendments to the Illinois Supreme Court Policy on Remote Court Appearances in Civil Proceedings (Policy) which are intended to give courts and justice partners concrete tools to enhance and improve their existing remote court practices.
“The ability to attend court remotely helps increase access to justice in both urban and rural areas,” Chief Justice Theis said. “These amendments will help Illinois’ courts continue to improve the remote court experience.”
The amended Policy reaffirms the Illinois Supreme Court’s commitment to remote court appearances in many different types of circuit court proceedings, particularly for non-evidentiary and uncontested matters, and the various benefits remote court appearances offer judges, court staff, lawyers, litigants, and other court users. These amendments shorten the Policy in length, reduce redundancies with Supreme Court Rule 45 and its Committee Comments, and expand its applicability to all circuit court proceedings.
“The last five years have shown us that while people want to participate in their court cases, all too often, they must choose between going to court or risk losing their wages or jobs, find alternative childcare, or expend significant resources and time to travel to the courthouse,” said Judge Jorge L. Ortiz, Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice (ATJ). “Remote court appearances make these decisions a little easier, and it is incredible to see people accessing justice from public libraries, workplace break rooms, and hospitals. The Supreme Court’s ongoing commitment to meet the community where it is at through remote court appearances is admirable and inspiring.”
The Illinois Supreme Court adopted the current Policy in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic significantly accelerating the adoption of remote technologies. Beginning in 2023, the Commission on Access to Justice’s Remote Appearance Committee (Committee) started reviewing the Policy with the goal of making it a closer reflection of the current remote court appearance landscape in Illinois circuit courts.
Moreover, the Committee updated the bench card on Remote Court Appearances in Circuit Courts. This two-page resource is a helpful reference for judges making decisions about remote appearances from the bench.
The amended Policy was proposed by ATJ. ATJ is focused on helping self-represented litigants, limited English proficient litigants, and litigants with a disability access courts while also supporting the judiciary and other court staff in ensuring justice for all.