State of Illinois
92nd General Assembly
Legislation

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92_HB3981

 
                                               LRB9213265RCsb

 1        AN ACT concerning courts.

 2        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 3    represented in the General Assembly:

 4        Section 5. The Circuit Courts Act is amended by  changing
 5    Section 2 as follows:

 6        (705 ILCS 35/2) (from Ch. 37, par. 72.2)
 7        Sec.  2.  Circuit  judges; election; oath. Circuit judges
 8    shall be elected at the general elections and  for  terms  as
 9    provided   in   Article  VI  of  the  Illinois  Constitution.
10    Ninety-four circuit judges shall be elected in the Circuit of
11    Cook County and 3 circuit judges shall be elected in each  of
12    the  other  circuits,  but in circuits other than Cook County
13    containing a population of 230,000 or more inhabitants and in
14    which there is included a county containing a  population  of
15    200,000  or  more inhabitants, or in circuits other than Cook
16    County  containing  a   population   of   270,000   or   more
17    inhabitants,  according  to the last preceding federal census
18    and in the circuit where the  seat  of  State  government  is
19    situated  at  the  time  fixed  by  law for the nomination of
20    judges of the Circuit  Court  in  such  circuit  and  in  any
21    circuit which meets the requirements set out in Section 2a of
22    this  Act,  4  circuit  judges shall be elected in the manner
23    provided by law. In circuits other than Cook County in  which
24    each  county  in  the  circuit has a population of 475,000 or
25    more, 4 circuit judges shall be elected in addition to the  4
26    circuit  judges  provided for in this Section. In any circuit
27    composed of 2 counties having a total population  of  350,000
28    or  more,  one  circuit judge shall be elected in addition to
29    the 4 circuit  judges  provided  for  in  this  Section.  The
30    several  judges  of  the circuit courts of this State, before
31    entering upon the duties of  their  office,  shall  take  and
 
                       -2-                     LRB9213265RCsb
 1    subscribe  the  following oath or affirmation, which shall be
 2    filed in the office of the Secretary of State:
 3        "I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that
 4    I will support the constitution of the United States, and the
 5    constitution of the  State  of  Illinois,  and  that  I  will
 6    faithfully  discharge  the  duties  of  judge  of....  court,
 7    according to the best of my ability."
 8        One  of the 3 additional circuit judgeships authorized by
 9    this amendatory Act in circuits other  than  Cook  County  in
10    which  each county in the circuit has a population of 475,000
11    or more may be filled  when  this  Act  becomes  law.  The  2
12    remaining  circuit  judgeships  in such circuits shall not be
13    filled until on or after July 1, 1977.
14    (Source: P.A. 86-786; 86-1478.)

15        Section 10. The Judicial  Vacancies  Act  is  amended  by
16    changing Section 2 as follows:

17        (705 ILCS 40/2) (from Ch. 37, par. 72.42)
18        Sec. 2.  Vacancies in office of judge.
19        (a)  Except  as  provided in paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and
20    (4) of this subsection (a), vacancies  in  the  office  of  a
21    resident  circuit  judge  in  any  county  or  in any unit or
22    subcircuit of any circuit shall not be filled.
23             (1)  If  in  any  county   of   less   than   45,000
24        inhabitants  there  remains  in  office no other resident
25        judge following the occurrence of a vacancy, such vacancy
26        shall be filled.
27             (2)  If in any county of 45,000  or  more  but  less
28        than  60,000 inhabitants there remains in office only one
29        resident judge following the  occurrence  of  a  vacancy,
30        such vacancy shall be filled.
31             (3)  If in any county of 60,000 or more inhabitants,
32        other  than the County of Cook, there remain in office no
 
                       -3-                     LRB9213265RCsb
 1        more than 2 resident judges following the occurrence of a
 2        vacancy, such vacancy shall be filled.
 3             (4)  The County of  Cook  shall  have  165  resident
 4        judges on and after the effective date of this amendatory
 5        Act  of  1990. Of those resident judgeships, (i) 56 shall
 6        be those authorized before the  effective  date  of  this
 7        amendatory  Act  of  1990 from the unit of the Circuit of
 8        Cook County  within  Chicago,  (ii)  27  shall  be  those
 9        authorized  before  the effective date of this amendatory
10        Act of 1990 from the unit of the Circuit of  Cook  County
11        outside  Chicago,  (iii)  12 shall be additional resident
12        judgeships first  elected  at  the  general  election  in
13        November  of  1992,  (iv) 10 shall be additional resident
14        judgeships first  elected  at  the  general  election  in
15        November of 1994, and (v) 60 shall be additional resident
16        judgeships  to  be authorized one each for each reduction
17        upon vacancy in the office  of  associate  judge  in  the
18        Circuit  of Cook County as those vacancies exist or occur
19        on and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of
20        1990  and  as  those  vacancies  are   determined   under
21        subsection  (b)  of Section 2 of the Associate Judges Act
22        until the total resident judgeships authorized under this
23        item (v) is 60.  Seven  of  the  12  additional  resident
24        judgeships  provided  in  item  (iii)  may  be  filled by
25        appointment  by  the  Supreme  Court  during  the  period
26        beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of
27        1990 and ending 60 days before the  primary  election  in
28        March  of  1992;  those  judicial  appointees shall serve
29        until the first Monday in December of 1992. Five  of  the
30        12  additional resident judgeships provided in item (iii)
31        may be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court  during
32        the  period  beginning  July  1,  1991 and ending 60 days
33        before the primary  election  in  March  of  1992;  those
34        judicial appointees shall serve until the first Monday in
 
                       -4-                     LRB9213265RCsb
 1        December  of  1992.  Five  of  the 10 additional resident
 2        judgeships  provided  in  item  (iv)  may  be  filled  by
 3        appointment  by  the  Supreme  Court  during  the  period
 4        beginning July 1, 1992 and  ending  60  days  before  the
 5        primary   election  in  March  of  1994;  those  judicial
 6        appointees shall serve until the first Monday in December
 7        of 1994. The remaining 5 of the  10  additional  resident
 8        judgeships  provided  in  item  (iv)  may  be  filled  by
 9        appointment  by  the  Supreme  Court  during  the  period
10        beginning  July  1,  1993  and  ending 60 days before the
11        primary  election  in  March  of  1994;  those   judicial
12        appointees shall serve until the first Monday in December
13        1994.  The  additional  resident  judgeships created upon
14        vacancy in the office of associate judge provided in item
15        (v) may be filled by appointment  by  the  Supreme  Court
16        beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of
17        1990;  but no additional resident judgeships created upon
18        vacancy in the office of associate judge provided in item
19        (v) shall be filled during the 59 day period  before  the
20        next  primary election to nominate judges. The Circuit of
21        Cook County shall be divided into units to  be  known  as
22        subcircuits  as  provided  in  Section  2f of the Circuit
23        Courts Act.  A vacancy in the office of resident judge of
24        the Circuit of Cook County existing on or occurring on or
25        after the effective date of this amendatory Act of  1990,
26        but  before  the date the subcircuits are created by law,
27        shall be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court  from
28        the  unit  within Chicago or the unit outside Chicago, as
29        the case may be, in which the vacancy occurs  and  filled
30        by  election  from the subcircuit to which it is allotted
31        under Section 2f of the Circuit Courts Act. A vacancy  in
32        the  office  of  resident  judge  of  the Circuit of Cook
33        County existing on or occurring on or after the date  the
34        subcircuits  are  created  by  law  shall  be  filled  by
 
                       -5-                     LRB9213265RCsb
 1        appointment by the Supreme Court and by election from the
 2        subcircuit  to  which  it is allotted under Section 2f of
 3        the Circuit Courts Act.
 4        (b)  Nothing in paragraphs (2) or (3) of  subsection  (a)
 5    of  this  Section  shall be construed to require or permit in
 6    any county a greater number of  resident  judges  than  there
 7    were resident associate judges on January 1, 1967.
 8        (c)  Vacancies  authorized to be filled by this Section 2
 9    shall be filled in the manner provided in Article VI  of  the
10    Constitution.
11        (d)  A  person  appointed to fill a vacancy in the office
12    of circuit judge shall be, at  the  time  of  appointment,  a
13    resident  of  the  subcircuit  from  which  the  person whose
14    vacancy is being filled was elected if the  vacancy  occurred
15    in  Cook  County. If a vacancy in the office of circuit judge
16    occurred in a  circuit  other  than  Cook  County,  a  person
17    appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  shall  be,  at the time of
18    appointment, a resident of the circuit from which the  person
19    whose  vacancy  is  being  filled  was  elected. If a vacancy
20    occurred in the office of a resident circuit judge, a  person
21    appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  shall  be,  at the time of
22    appointment, a resident of the county from which  the  person
23    whose vacancy is being filled was elected.
24    (Source: P.A. 90-342, eff. 8-8-97.)

25        Section  15.  The  Associate  Judges  Act  is  amended by
26    changing Section 2 as follows:

27        (705 ILCS 45/2) (from Ch. 37, par. 160.2)
28        Sec. 2.  Number of associate judges.
29        (a)  The maximum number of  associate  judges  authorized
30    for  each  circuit  is  the greater of the applicable minimum
31    number specified in this Section or one for  each  35,000  or
32    fraction  thereof  in  population  as  determined by the last
 
                       -6-                     LRB9213265RCsb
 1    preceding  Federal  census,  except  for  circuits   with   a
 2    population of more than 3,000,000 where the maximum number of
 3    associate  judges  is one for each 29,000 or fraction thereof
 4    in population as determined by  the  last  preceding  federal
 5    census,  reduced in circuits of less than 200,000 inhabitants
 6    by the number of  resident  circuit  judges  elected  in  the
 7    circuit  in  excess  of  one  per  county.   In  addition, in
 8    circuits of 1,000,000 or more inhabitants, there shall be one
 9    additional associate  judge  authorized  for  each  municipal
10    district of the circuit court. The number of associate judges
11    to  be  appointed  in each circuit, not to exceed the maximum
12    authorized, shall be determined from  time  to  time  by  the
13    Circuit   Court.  The  minimum  number  of  associate  judges
14    authorized for any circuit  consisting  of  a  single  county
15    shall   be  14.   The  minimum  number  of  associate  judges
16    authorized for any circuit consisting of 2  counties  with  a
17    combined population of at least 275,000 but less than 300,000
18    shall   be  10.   The  minimum  number  of  associate  judges
19    authorized for any circuit with  a  population  of  at  least
20    303,000  but  not  more than 309,000 shall be 10. The minimum
21    number of associate judges authorized for any circuit with  a
22    population  of  at  least  329,000, but not more than 335,000
23    shall  be  11.  The  minimum  number  of   associate   judges
24    authorized  for  any  circuit  with  a population of at least
25    173,000 shall be 5.   As  used  in  this  Section,  the  term
26    "resident  circuit  judge"  has  the  meaning given it in the
27    Judicial Vacancies Act.
28        (b)  The maximum number of  associate  judges  authorized
29    under  subsection (a) for a circuit with a population of more
30    than  3,000,000  shall  be  reduced  as  provided   in   this
31    subsection (b).  For each vacancy that exists on or occurs on
32    or  after  the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990,
33    that maximum number shall be reduced by one until  the  total
34    number of associate judges authorized under subsection (a) is
 
                       -7-                     LRB9213265RCsb
 1    reduced  by 60.  A vacancy exists or occurs when an associate
 2    judge  dies,  resigns,  retires,  is  removed,  or   is   not
 3    reappointed  upon  expiration  of  his or her term; a vacancy
 4    does not exist or occur at the expiration of a  term  if  the
 5    associate judge is reappointed.
 6    (Source: P.A. 92-17, eff. 6-28-01.)

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