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Judicial Education Programs | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

II. Judicial Education Programs

A. GENERAL POLICIES

The following general policies shall govern attendance by judges at judicial education programs:

1. The Supreme Court of Illinois has established that all Illinois judges complete, biennially, 30 hours of judicial education. Judicial education is defined as an organized program of learning contributing directly to the professional or personal development of a judge and designed specifically for an audience of judges. See also Section III.B.(1)(d). 

2. Judges must obtain approval from the chief circuit judge or his/her designee to attend any course held during their scheduled court time or for which any portion of the cost of attendance is to be paid by any governmental agency.

3. Chief judges should make every effort, through reallocation of judicial resources and advance scheduling, to accommodate a judge's request to plan, teach, or attend judicial education programs. In general, efforts should be made to ensure court calls are not canceled.

B. JUDICIAL EDUCATION CREDIT FOR ATTENDEES

1. The award of participant credit hours for attendance at any judicial branch education program shall be determined by the use of a standard calculation- one hour of participant credit for one hour of instructional time.

2. The number of credit hours awarded for attendance at a non-Judicial Conference education program shall equal the number of credit hours awarded by the sponsoring organization for continuing judicial education. If the sponsoring organization has not awarded continuing education hours, the Committee on Education shall determine, subject to approval by the Supreme Court or its designee, the number of credit hours to be awarded.

C. JUDICIAL EDUCATION CREDIT FOR TEACHING

Illinois judges and retired judges who serve as faculty for judicial education programs shall receive judicial education credit for both their preparation time and instruction time as noted below:

1. Judicial Conference and Non Judicial Conference Courses: Illinois judges who instruct at judicial branch education programs shall be credited with three (3) credit hours per instructional hour of presentation or facilitation.