Supreme Court Support Staff & Contact Information

There are several support units which assist the Supreme Court with its work as the state’s highest court. These units are located in Springfield, Bloomington, and Chicago.

Clerk of the Supreme Court. The Clerk of the Supreme Court is appointed by the Court, reports to the Court and serves at the Court’s pleasure. The Clerk is the Court’s principal case processing and records manager who operates the office through a staff of specialized deputies, and by planning, developing, and implementing policies and procedures necessary to execute the responsibilities of the office. The office has existed since circa 1818 and supports the Court in the exercise of its statewide jurisdiction, authority to regulate the practice of law in Illinois, and supervisory authority over the courts in the state.

In its case management capacity, the Clerk’s Office maintains four distinct automated dockets, executing all associated processes, to ensure compliance with Supreme Court Rules and to ensure that cases are effectively monitored and scheduled, from initiation to issuance of mandates and final orders as appropriate. The general docket unit of the office supports the Court’s primary docket. The miscellaneous record consists primarily of attorney matters. The miscellaneous docket consists of conviction-related cases filed by pro se incarcerated litigants and provides a forum without compromising standard filing requirements. The proposed rule docket was developed and functions consistent with the mandate of Supreme Court Rule 3.

In its record management capacity, the Clerk’s Office maintains the Court’s active and closed files and permanent records, dating to 1818, including historically significant documents which are housed and preserved in the State Archives by agreement, and operates a micrographics unit which commits paper documents to a more stable medium.

The Clerk’s Office maintains the roll of attorneys, which includes the licensing process, and the currency of the capital litigation trial bar rosters; registers and renews professional service corporations and associations, and limited liability companies and partnerships engaged in the practice of law; files judicial financial disclosure statements required of state court judges. The office compiles, analyzes, and reports statistics on the Supreme Court’s caseload and other activity, as reflected in the accompanying statistical summary and narrative for 2011.

The Clerk’s Office provides information to the public at large and the practicing bar and has working relationships with other courts and judicial branch offices, Supreme Court agencies, and state and county departments.

Marshal of the Supreme Court. The marshal attends all sessions of the Supreme Court and performs such other duties as are performed by sheriffs of courts. The marshal directs a staff to provide for courthouse security, provides technical assistance to the appellate court on security issues, receives and disseminates threat information concerning members of the Supreme Court and the court system, and serves as liaison to the law enforcement community.

Reporter of Decisions. The reporter of decisions directs a staff which publishes opinions of the supreme and appellate courts in the Official Reports. Employees also verify case citations, compose head notes, attorney lines, tables of cases, topical summaries, and other materials appearing in the Official Reports; and edit opinions for style and grammar.

Supreme Court Librarian. The Supreme Court librarian directs a staff who provide legal reference services to the courts, state agencies, and citizens of the state. The Supreme Court libraries include a 100,000 volume public law library in Springfield, a 40,000 volume private branch library in Chicago, and four private judicial libraries across the state. The librarian oversees all aspects of library administration including budget and program planning, materials and equipment acquisition, cataloging and collection development, and library reference and research services.

Supreme Court Research Director. The Supreme Court research director supervises a staff of attorneys who provide legal research and writing assistance to the court.

Supreme Court Chief Internal Auditor. The Supreme Court chief internal auditor and staff perform audits of the state-funded activities of the judicial branch. In addition, the internal auditor annually assesses the adequacy of internal controls for state-funded activities.