On March 26, 2021, the Illinois Supreme Court entered M.R. 3140 approving amendments to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 10-101. The rule was modified again in May with two changes:
- It clarified in section (d)(1) that the limitation on courts maintaining, creating, or disseminate alternate court forms is only for forms that seek the same legal remedy of a published standardized court form, and
- The effective date of the Rule was pushed back two months to September 1, 2021.
In short, the amended rule requires that after a standardized court form is published, courts cannot have or use local forms for the same legal remedy. The ATJ Commission has posted a list of the currently published forms, an FAQ about the rule change, and a handout about the benefits of standardized court forms at: http://illinoiscourts.gov/Forms/approved/.
The rule change also requires courts to promote the standardized court forms on their websites and in courthouses. The ATJ Commission is still developing these promotional materials and they will be circulated prior to the effective date.
If you have any questions about forms or suggestions for improving forms, please reach out to Forms@illinoiscourts.gov.