Illinois Rule of Evidence 103 provides the roadmap for preserving evidentiary issues for appeal. The rule’s language, which may seem fairly straightforward, must be read in light of a mountain of caselaw that contains additional requirements and nuances that the trial lawyer should understand to avoid losing the chance to challenge a court’s evidentiary rulings on appeal. Don’t miss this in-depth look at practical trial techniques to lay the groundwork for successfully appealing trial court evidentiary rulings and avoid the most common difficulties encountered in evidence appeals.

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.

The Illinois Supreme Court today issued an order pausing the implementation of the 2021 judicial redistricting. The order can be found online.

The past year has tested our health, patience, and resolve. So, why not blow off some steam by entering the Illinois Bar Journal’s Creative Writing Contest? Send us your poems, short stories, creative essays, or other forms of written expression capturing the essence of lawyering during the COVID-19 pandemic and we’ll pick a finalist who will receive a gift card and whose winning submission will be printed in an upcoming issue of the Illinois Bar Journal. The rules are simple: