June 24, 2019

The Illinois Supreme Court Rules Committee heard comments from over a dozen speakers on June 19 at a public hearing in Chicago. The six proposals include,18-01, which would establish a protective order for the release of medical information. Eight speakers presented comments on 18-01. 

The Committee will also consider proposed changes to Supreme Court rules including a proposal involving the use of deposition testimony by a party, petitions for leave to appeal, amicus curiae briefs, and an appendix to briefs filed by appellants.

All the proposals, which must be approved by the Illinois Supreme Court before they could take effect, will be aired at a hearing before the Rules Committee at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, June 19, 2019, in Room C-500 of the Michael A. Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle St. in Chicago.

The Rules Committee posted public comments on the Supreme Court website at: www.illinoiscourts.gov/SupremeCourt/Public_Hearings/Rules/default.asp

The following are the proposals which the Rules Committee sought comment on:

Proposal 16-08, submitted by the Appellate Lawyers Association, would amend Supreme Court Rules 306, 308, and 315. The proposals would establish 30-day timeframes for deciding whether to accept petitions for leave to appeal under Rule 306, applications for leave to appeal under Rule 308 and remove the 21-day timeframe from Rule 315(f).

Proposal 17-03, submitted by the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, would amend Supreme Court Rules 206 and 212. The proposals would allow a party to use the video recording of a deposition or reading from a stenographic transcript of the deposition, and allow discovery depositions to be used as a former statement of a party.

Proposal 18-01, submitted by Cook County Circuit Court Judge John H. Ehrlich, would amend Supreme Court Rule 218. The proposal would establish a protective order for the release of medical information.

Proposal 18-04, submitted by the Appellate Lawyers Association, would amend Supreme Court Rule 345. The proposal would allow litigants to submit amicus briefs that both support and oppose petitions for leave to appeal.

Proposal 18-12, submitted by the Appellate Lawyers Association, would amend Supreme Court Rule 315. The proposal would (1) clarify that the page and word counts set forth in the rule exclude not only the appendix but any items identified as excluded from the length limitation in Rule 341(b)(1); and (2) allow extra pages for the appellee and the appellant, and extra 2 time for the appellant, when the appellee seeks cross-relief in the Illinois Supreme Court.

Proposal 19-02, submitted by the Appellate Lawyers Association, would amend Supreme Court Rule 342. The proposal would allow an appellant to submit a supplementary appendix, without filing a motion seeking leave to do so, when record material not included in the appellant's original appendix or the appellee's supplementary appendix would aid the court in evaluating the merits of the appeal.

Justice Thomas L. Kilbride serves as Supreme Court liaison to the Rules Committee and the Hon. John C. Anderson, Twelfth Judicial Circuit, is chair of the committee.