On behalf of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, St. Clair County, State of Illinois, Chief Judge Andrew J. Gleeson announces the selection of Maurche' H. Belk to the position of Associate Judge in accordance with Supreme Court Rule 39.

Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court announced an order entered to help the court system implement the pretrial release provisions of the SAFE-T Act, which goes into effect on September 18, 2023.

The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice is pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of two awards – the Hon. Thomas L. Kilbride (Ret.) Judicial Access to Justice Award and the Jeffrey D. Colman Access to Justice Award.

Thousands of litigants appear in the Illinois courts without a lawyer every year. The growing number of self-represented litigants (SRLs) in court is not unique to any one circuit, county, or case type.

The 1837 Internal Improvements Act was one of the most ambitious infrastructure laws passed by the Illinois General Assembly. Unfortunately, a nationwide economic depression shortly thereafter prevented many of the planned canals and railroads from being built. The infrastructure bill cost $10 million and was financed with state bonds. It should be noted that state revenues at this time totaled only $57,000.

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced the creation of the Illinois Judicial College Committee on Pretrial Education (CPTE) as a seventh Standing Committee of the Illinois Judicial College (Judicial College), elevating pretrial education from its current Pretrial Board Workgroup status in the Judicial College.

Beyond the Bench is a new monthly feature to get to know more about judges and justices in the Illinois Courts, beyond their legal duties.

Justice Mary K. O’Brien and the Supreme Court of Illinois have announced the appointment of the Hon. Roger Rickmon as an At-Large Circuit Judge in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit.

On September 18, 2023, the Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act becomes effective. Some of the Act’s pretrial release provisions involve electronic monitoring of criminal defendants. The Office of Statewide Pretrial Services (OSPS) recently rolled out a monitoring program covering most of Illinois.

With the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision last week in Rowe v. Raoul affirming the constitutionality of the Pretrial Fairness Act (PFA), Illinois is set to be the first state to eliminate cash bail on Sept. 18 – now less than 60 days away.