The Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) fully agrees with the Illinois Supreme Court’s well-reasoned decision to temporarily pause the implementation of the legislatively enacted judicial redistricting plan in order for the Court to faithfully execute the plan. The efficient and orderly administration of justice is of the utmost importance to the ISBA and its members. While we recognize that judicial redistricting is a legislative act properly carried out by the General Assembly, our Supreme Court nonetheless retains administrative and supervisory authority over all courts in Illinois. The piece of legislation creating Illinois’ new judicial districts (Public Act 102-0011) will necessitate substantial changes to the filing of appeals and the administration of justice.  As the Court noted in its Order issued this morning, the legislation will require “updates to e-filing and case management systems software, redistribution of staffing and judicial resources, and training of judicial stakeholders and education of the public and members of the bar.” On behalf of the ISBA, I applaud our Supreme Court’s leadership and foresight in recognizing that the changes necessitated by this legislation must be properly and thoughtfully implemented in order to ensure the efficient and orderly administration of our justice system.

Dennis J. Orsey
ISBA President