Electronic Transfer of Appellate Record | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

On January 22, 2016 the Illinois Supreme Court filed Order  M.R. 18368 which announced mandatory electronic filing (e-filing) in civil cases for the Illinois Supreme, Appellate and Circuit Courts.  In addition, effective July 1, 2017, all trial courts are to transmit the record on appeal through the central electronic filing manager (EFM) to their respective reviewing court.

The Supreme Court has approved pilot projects that authorize the electronic transfer of the record on appeal originating in 20 counties to the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth District Appellate Courts.

Under the pilot projects, one official record pursuant to Supreme Court rules will remain but a mirror record will be produced electronically with identical pagination. The accessible electronic record will include transcripts of the trial and associated hearings, motions, other pleadings and documents. It will exclude exhibits such as photos and physical evidence such as weapons, clothing and the like. The pilots will allow attorneys, parties and appellate justices to electronically view, access and work from the official record of cases on appeal. The pilots make the physical transfer of the record unnecessary, removing the cost of repeatedly transporting the record back and forth from the Appellate Clerks' offices.

The following Appellate Courts and Counties have been approved to operate pilot projects for the electronic transfer of the record on appeal to the Appellate Courts: