In 2019, Justice Anne Burke’s stated priorities for her 3-year term as Chief Justice were straightforward: continue the successful priorities of her predecessors, support the Illinois Judicial Conference’s recently announced Strategic Agenda, and launch a statewide Listening Tour in coordination with the Illinois State Bar Association.

Illinois judges are increasingly being recognized for their dedicated work in courtrooms throughout the state. Here are some of the recent honors received by Illinois judges:

Chief Judge John S. Lowry is pleased to announce that Deputy Court Administrator Kimberly Ackmann attained certification as a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management (ICM) at the National Center for State Courts.

Referral fee agreements are good for lawyers and clients. They incentivize lawyers, who lack the time or expertise to handle a client’s matter, to seek out other lawyers to ensure that clients obtain competent representation. But if not done right, a lawyer risks the loss of the fee, malpractice exposure and disciplinary charges. What are the ethics rules governing referral arrangements?

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the assignment of Cook County Circuit Judge Sanjay T. Tailor to the First District Appellate Court. Judge Tailor was assigned to fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Justice Daniel J. Pierce, effective September 30. The appointment is effective October 3, 2022, and will stay in effect until further order of the court. He will become the first Indian American on the Illinois Appellate Court.

Justice Robert L. Carter and the Supreme Court of Illinois have announced the appointment of Mia S. McPherson as an At-Large Circuit Court Judge in the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit.

The Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission announces its latest entry in its long-running History on Trial series: the Chicago “Black Sox.” The presentation will examine the 1919 Chicago White Sox allegedly throwing the World Series in their 5 games to 3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds and the legal ramifications following.

The Illinois Supreme Court Pretrial Implementation Task Force (Task Force) hosted its fourth in a series of town hall meetings on September 16 via Zoom on the topic of Evidence-based Pretrial Assessments in anticipation of the upcoming Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA) implementation in 2023.

The Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC) Probation Services Division sought and received funds from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to implement initiatives to support the development of a statewide training and technical assistance program to address the training needs of new Problem-Solving Courts (PSC) and the ongoing training needs of experienced PSC.

The Illinois Supreme Court announced that Justice Mary Jane Theis will be its next Chief Justice. Justice Theis was selected by the Court to serve a three-year term commencing October 26, 2022. She succeeds Justice Anne M. Burke whose tenure as Chief Justice began in October of 2019.