Public Accountability Report

The Illinois Courts Commission is a constitutionally created agency that adjudicates complaints brought by the Judicial Inquiry Board against Illinois judges. The Courts Commission has exclusive jurisdiction to hear complaints alleging (1) that a judge has engaged in willful misconduct in office, persistent failure to perform his or her duties, or other conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice or that brings the judicial office into disrepute; or (2) that the judge is physically or mentally unable to perform his or her duties.

The Commission is comprised of seven Commissioners, including one Supreme Court Justice, two Appellate Court Justices, two Circuit Court Judges, and two members of the public. The Courts Commission is separate and independent from the Illinois Supreme Court and the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board. If the Judicial Inquiry Board determines that a public complaint against a judge is warranted, then the Judicial Inquiry Board will file a complaint with the Courts Commission. The Judicial Inquiry Board is the prosecutorial arm in proceedings before the Courts Commission, and the judge against whom a complaint is filed may retain his or her own counsel. The Courts Commission will hear the evidence and determine whether the allegations contained in the Judicial Inquiry Board’s complaint were proven by clear and convincing evidence. If the Courts Commission finds that a judge has committed the alleged misconduct or that a judge is physically or mentally unable to perform his or her duties, then the Courts Commission may impose a sanction or discipline upon the judge.

In cases in which the Commission finds that the judge has engaged in willful misconduct in office, persistent failure to perform his or her duties, or other conduct that is prejudicial to the administration of justice or that brings the judicial office into disrepute, the Commission may remove the judge from office, suspend the judge without pay, censure the judge, or reprimand the judge. In matters in which the Commission finds that the judge is physically or mentally unable to perform his or her duties, the Commission may suspend the judge, with or without pay, or retire the judge. The Commission’s decisions are final.

In June 2022, the Commission hired its first Executive Director and General Counsel, after the Commission was provided with an appropriation from the legislature for the first time. Since June 2022, the Commission has built its first website, which houses all the Commission’s past decisions and provides information regarding the cases currently pending before the Commission. The website also provides the public with transparency regarding the Commission’s proceedings and access to information that has, historically, been difficult to obtain.

During the 2024 fiscal year, the Commission adjudicated one case that was pending before the Commission. That case was a two-day hearing, which garnered a significant amount of media and public attention, and which resulted in a lengthy 33-page decision. As of the end of fiscal year 2024, there were no cases pending before the Commission. Throughout fiscal year 2024, the Commission’s staff engaged in several educational outreach programs, providing seminars on judicial ethics to Illinois judges and attorneys.