Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court announced today the extension of an order to help the court system continue to implement the pretrial release provisions of the SAFE-T Act, which went into effect in September 2023.

The order will be extended for six months and will remain in effect through September 18, 2024. View the order on the Court’s website. 

The order permits chief circuit judges to enter local orders approving the operational challenges documented by the Supreme Court and to order these hearings to be conducted remotely where necessary. Local orders must be submitted to the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts (AOIC), but local plans to reasonably address the operational challenges are unnecessary while the order is in effect.

The order was originally proposed by the Illinois Judicial Conference’s (IJC) Remote Proceedings Task Force, which was reconvened by Chief Justice Theis to review Supreme Court Rule 45 in light of the pretrial release provisions of the SAFE-T Act. The IJC voted to adopt the Task Force’s recommendation and submitted it to the Court for its consideration.

The IJC is charged with considering the work of the courts, suggesting improvements in the administration of justice, and strategically planning for the Illinois judicial branch. The IJC is comprised of 29 voting members: 15 judges and 14 non-judges, with the Chief Justice serving as Chair.