The Illinois Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases before an audience at Western Illinois University on March 11.
Approximately 500 students, community leaders, and members of the public attended oral arguments. A Q&A session with Ninth Judicial Circuit Court Judges Heidi Benson and Nigel Graham, along with attorney Emily Sutton, followed oral arguments.
The practice of holding Supreme Court arguments outside Springfield dates back to an old tradition called “riding the circuit.” It began in medieval England, where judges traveled to local communities so people could see the law at work. The United States adopted the same idea at its founding, requiring Supreme Court justices to travel so the public would understand and trust the new courts. Illinois followed this practice after becoming a state in 1818, until the 1848 Constitution ended it.
Prior to this visit in Macomb, the Court met in Mt. Vernon in 2008, Ottawa in 2014, Lisle in 2016, Champaign in 2018, Godfrey in 2019, Chicago in 2023, DeKalb in 2024, and Carbondale in 2025.
The event was sponsored by the Illinois Supreme Court, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, the Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission, and the WIU Foundation.
Photos of the event are available here.