Public Accountability Report

The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission was created in 2007 (705 ILCS 17/1 et seq.) to assist and advise the Supreme Court in acquiring, collecting, preserving, and cataloging documents, artifacts, and information relating to the Illinois judiciary. The Commission seeks to accomplish its work in partnership with historical and cultural institutions; bar associations; universities and colleges; law schools; and federal, state, and local agencies.

In fiscal year 2021, the major accomplishment was the update of the Commission’s website (illinoiscourthistory.org) with better integration to its social media outlets. The Commission’s activities were limited because of the continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in postponement of the History on Trial: Black Sox program until fiscal year 2023. However, the Commission resumed in-person presentations and tours while continuing online presentations. The widest-reaching presentations concerned Abraham Lincoln’s legal career and a discussion of pandemics and legal cases. Commission staff also continued to create publications, most notably online stories of Illinois legal history that are published on the illinoiscourts.gov website. The Commission also made two new hires: one full-time Director of History Programs and one graduate intern. History Programs now has a dedicated staff member to manage the Commission’s planned creation of a Learning Center at the Illinois Supreme Court Building and conservation and digitization of Supreme Court case files.