Chief Justice Rita B. Garman of the Illinois Supreme Court and Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans of Cook County Circuit Court announced Tuesday that media cameras soon will be allowed in some Cook County criminal courtrooms.Chief Justice Garman said that the Supreme Court has given its approval for the Cook County Circuit Court to become part of a pilot program already being implemented in 40 other counties in Illinois.Effective Monday, January 5, 2015, the media will be allowed to video and audio record proceedings at the George N. Leighton Criminal Court Building at 26th Street and California Avenue in Chicago in accordance with procedures contained in the Illinois Supreme Court Policy on Extended Media Coverage and a new local Circuit Court rule promulgated by Chief Judge Evans.“The opening of Cook County criminal courtrooms to media cameras is a significant and very welcome step in our efforts to bring greater transparency to the judicial process, while protecting the rights of the accused, witnesses, and jurors," Chief Justice Garman said. "The experience with media coverage in other judicial circuits has been overwhelmingly positive, and it is time to extend the pilot program to the most populous county in the state.
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December 16, 2014 |
Practice News
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December 15, 2014 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court announced Monday that Jodi Melinda Hoos has been appointed Resident Circuit Judge of Peoria County, 10th Judicial Circuit. This vacancy was created by the retirement of the Hon. Michael E. Brandt. it is effective Dec. 29, 2014 and terminates on Dec. 5, 2016.
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December 15, 2014 |
Member Services
Sign-up Today (Dec. 15) for January 1 Coverage.Enrollment is now open for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Compare available plans to secure a solution that strikes the best balance between coverage and affordability.As an ISBA member, you can do this confidently and conveniently in minutes. There is no additional cost to take advantage of this service.NEW! ISBA has established a relationship with Mercer Marketplace*, providing a unique individual insurance solution available to you through the insurance broker GetInsured. Explore ACA-compliant plans in your area with the company that administers public health insurance exchanges.Specify what you need in health care coverage and get a list of all plans that are scored for:Overall SuitabilityMonthly CostEstimated Out-of-Pocket Expense (Deductibles/Copays)Which Services Are CoveredWhich Doctors ParticipateWhen you select your plan, you’re just steps away from finalizing coverage. TO ENROLL, follow instructions for your selected plan,contact a licensed GetInsured agent (866-454-5177), or visit www.getinsured.com/isba.
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December 13, 2014
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Northern Illinois University College of Law and Southern Illinois University School of Law hosted Law School Alumni Receptions during the Joint Midyear Meeting on Dec. 12, 2014 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. -
December 13, 2014
The Illinois State Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association co-hosted the Annual Supreme Court Dinner and Reception on Dec. 12, 2014 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Justice Robert Thomas served as the keynote speaker. -
December 12, 2014 |
Events | ISBA News
The Joint Midyear Meeting hosted by the Illinois State Bar Association and Illinois Judges Association kicked off Thursday afternoon with the Opening Reception at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. Highlights on Friday include the sold out luncheon featuring U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and the Supreme Court Dinner featuring Illinois Supreme Court Justice Robert Thomas.View the full schedule at www.isba.org/jointmeetingView pictures from the Opening Reception at iln.isba.org/gallery/834/midyear-meeting-2014-opening-reception
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December 12, 2014
The Illinois Bar Foundation honored Cook County Circuit Court Presiding Judge Grace G. Dickler with the Honorary Fellows Award and J. Nelson Wood with the Award for Distinguished Service to Law & Society on Friday, Dec. 12 at the Joint Midyear Meeting in Chicago. -
December 12, 2014
The Illinois Judges Association held its Annual Luncheon at the ISBA/IJA Joint Midyear Meeting on Dec. 12 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder served as the keynote speaker. -
December 12, 2014
The Joint Midyear Meeting kicked off with an Opening Reception on Thursday, Dec. 11 at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers. -
December 10, 2014 |
Practice News
The Illinois Supreme Court recently expanded its electronic filing standards to include e-filing in criminal and traffic cases. Before the amendments, which took effect September 16 but have not yet been implemented by the county courts, electronic filing was only available in civil cases. Ideally, expanding e-filing to criminal matters will increase efficiency in the courts while lowering costs.Three changes to the electronic filing standards are particularly noteworthy. First, amended paragraph 9(f) provides that documents filed by pro se litigants will be reviewed for acceptance by the court before being rejected by the clerk's office for failure to comply with formatting requirements. Paragraph 9(f) does not specifically limit this requirement to criminal filings, and thus could benefit pro se litigants in civil matters.Also, multiple traffic (or other) citations can be filed in one transaction under the amended rules. This batch file can be sent directly from the law enforcement agency that issued the citations. Coupled with the provision that exempts partner agencies (state's attorney, public defender, attorney general, and law enforcement) from paying filing or vendor fees, this change could result in significant cost savings. It also allows paper citations not to be filed with the clerk's office.