Public Accountability Report

The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission was created in 2007 (705 ILCS 17) to assist and advise the Illinois 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 2024, the Commission managed several projects:

1. The Commission opened a Learning Center at the Illinois Supreme Court Building. This has led to a significant increase in tours led by Commission staff.
2. The Commission continued work on a two-year federal grant to digitize 3,500 Illinois Supreme Court case files from 1818 to 1865. The final product will be a fully searchable database of Supreme Court cases with PDF images of case files and opinions.
3. The Commission continues to repair and preserve Illinois Supreme Court case files with the hiring of an additional conservator.

Commission staff members were in demand as speakers and continued to disseminate information about the history of the Court through Supreme Court Building tours, in-person and online presentations, and publications.

The upcoming year promises more tours in partnering with other historic sites, more speaking engagements to disseminate the history of the judicial branch, and more conservation of Supreme Court case files. The Commission will publish its database of case files, completing the federal grant project.