State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
Legislation

   [ Search ]   [ Legislation ]   [ Bill Summary ]
[ Home ]   [ Back ]   [ Bottom ]



90_SC0056

      ILCON Art. VI, Sec. 15
          Proposes to amend the Judiciary Article of  the  Illinois
      Constitution.  Provides  that  the  Courts  Commission  shall
      consist  of 7 members appointed as follows: 2 Appellate Court
      Judges appointed by that Court, 2 Circuit Judges appointed by
      the Chief Judges of the Judicial  Circuits,  and  3  citizens
      appointed  by  the Supreme Court.  Provides for a like number
      of alternates to serve if a member is disqualified.  Provides
      for 4-year staggered terms. Allows for appeal  of  Commission
      decisions  to  the Supreme Court or, if a Supreme Court Judge
      is subject to discipline, to a  Special  Panel  of  Appellate
      Court  Judges.  Both the Judicial Inquiry Board and the Judge
      may appeal.  Requires the Commission to  adopt  comprehensive
      rules.   Makes other changes.  Effective upon approval of the
      electors.
                                                    SRS90SC0019GHbm
                                              SRS90SC0019GHbm
 1                       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION
 2                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
 3                      CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
 4        RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
 5    OF THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES
 6    CONCURRING  HEREIN,  that  there  shall  be  submitted to the
 7    electors of the  State  for  adoption  or  rejection  at  the
 8    general  election  next occurring at least 6 months after the
 9    adoption of this resolution a proposition to amend Section 15
10    of Article VI of the Illinois Constitution as follows:
11                             ARTICLE VI
12                            THE JUDICIARY
13         (ILCON Art. VI, Sec. 15)
14    SECTION 15. RETIREMENT - DISCIPLINE
15        (a)  The General Assembly may  provide  by  law  for  the
16    retirement  of  Judges  and  Associate Judges at a prescribed
17    age. Any retired Judge or Associate Judge, with  his  or  her
18    consent,  may  be  assigned  by the Supreme Court to judicial
19    service for which he or  she  shall  receive  the  applicable
20    compensation  in  lieu  of  retirement  benefits.  A  retired
21    Associate Judge may be assigned only as an Associate Judge.
22        (b)  A  Judicial  Inquiry  Board  is created. The Supreme
23    Court shall select two Circuit  Judges  as  members  and  the
24    Governor  shall  appoint four persons who are not lawyers and
25    three lawyers as members of the Board. No more  than  two  of
26    the  lawyers  and  two  of  the  non-lawyers appointed by the
27    Governor shall be members of the same  political  party.  The
28    terms  of Board members shall be four years. A vacancy on the
29    Board shall be filled for a  full  term  in  the  manner  the
30    original  appointment  was  made.  No member may serve on the
31    Board more than eight years.
32        (c)  The  Board  shall  be  convened  permanently,   with
                            -2-               SRS90SC0019GHbm
 1    authority  to  conduct  investigations,  receive  or initiate
 2    complaints concerning a Judge or Associate  Judge,  and  file
 3    complaints  with  the  Courts Commission. The Board shall not
 4    file  a  complaint  unless  five  members  believe   that   a
 5    reasonable  basis exists (1) to charge the Judge or Associate
 6    Judge with willful misconduct in office,  persistent  failure
 7    to  perform  his duties, or other conduct that is prejudicial
 8    to the administration of justice or that brings the  judicial
 9    office  into  disrepute,  or  (2) to charge that the Judge or
10    Associate Judge is physically or mentally unable  to  perform
11    his   duties.   All   proceedings   of  the  Board  shall  be
12    confidential except the filing of a complaint with the Courts
13    Commission. The Board shall prosecute the complaint.
14        (d)  The  Board   shall   adopt   rules   governing   its
15    procedures.  It  shall  have  subpoena power and authority to
16    appoint and direct its staff. Members of the  Board  who  are
17    not  Judges shall receive per diem compensation and necessary
18    expenses; members who  are  Judges  shall  receive  necessary
19    expenses  only. The General Assembly by law shall appropriate
20    funds for the operation of the Board.
21        (e)  An  independent  A  Courts  Commission  is   created
22    consisting of one Supreme Court Judge selected by that Court,
23    who  shall  be  its  chairman,  two  Appellate  Court  Judges
24    selected  by that Court as members and two as alternates, and
25    two Circuit Judges  selected  by  the  Chief  Judges  of  the
26    Judicial Circuits as members and two as alternates, and three
27    citizens  who are not sitting Illinois Judges selected by the
28    Supreme Court as members  and  three  as  alternates  Supreme
29    Court.  No  member  or alternate of the Commission shall be a
30    member of the Judicial Inquiry Board.   The  members  of  the
31    Commission  shall  select  a  chairperson to serve a two-year
32    term.
33        Except  for  the  initial  appointees,  each  member  and
34    alternate of the Commission shall  serve  a  four-year  term.
                            -3-               SRS90SC0019GHbm
 1    The  terms of the initial appointees shall be staggered terms
 2    of four or fewer years as determined by the Supreme Court  by
 3    rule  so  that  no  more than one-third of the members and no
 4    more than one-third of the alternates is appointed in any one
 5    year. If the office of a member or alternate becomes  vacant,
 6    the  vacancy shall be filled for the remainder of the term in
 7    the manner the original appointment was made.
 8        The Commission shall  be  convened  permanently  to  hear
 9    complaints   filed   by   the  Judicial  Inquiry  Board.  The
10    Commission shall  have  authority  after  notice  and  public
11    hearing,  (1)  to  remove  from  office, suspend without pay,
12    censure or reprimand a Judge or Associate Judge  for  willful
13    misconduct  in  office,  persistent failure to perform his or
14    her duties, or other  conduct  that  is  prejudicial  to  the
15    administration  of justice or that brings the judicial office
16    into disrepute, or (2) to suspend, with or  without  pay,  or
17    retire  a  Judge  or  Associate  Judge  who  is physically or
18    mentally unable to perform his or her duties.
19        (f)  The  concurrence  of  four  three  members  of   the
20    Commission shall be necessary for a decision. The decision of
21    the Commission shall be final.
22        (g)  Both  the  Judicial  Inquiry  Board  and  the  Judge
23    subject  to  discipline have the right to appeal the decision
24    of the Commission.  If the  Judge  is  not  a  Supreme  Court
25    Judge,  the  appeal  shall  be  to the Supreme Court.  If the
26    Judge is a Supreme Court Judge, the  appeal  shall  be  to  a
27    Special  Panel  convened  specifically for that purpose.  The
28    Special Panel shall consist of seven Appellate Court  Judges,
29    who  are  not  Commission  members  or alternates or Judicial
30    Inquiry Board members, chosen by  lot  by  the  Secretary  of
31    State  in  a  public drawing with three chosen from the First
32    Judicial District and one from each  of  the  other  Judicial
33    Districts.   The  senior Appellate Court Judge on the Special
34    Panel shall serve as its Chief Judge.  The  decision  of  the
                            -4-               SRS90SC0019GHbm
 1    Supreme  Court or Special Panel, as the case may be, shall be
 2    final.
 3        (h) (g)  The Commission shall adopt  comprehensive  rules
 4    to   ensure  that  governing  its  procedures  are  fair  and
 5    appropriate.  These rules and any amendments shall be  public
 6    and filed with the Secretary of State 30 days before becoming
 7    effective.
 8        A  member  of  the Commission shall disqualify himself or
 9    herself,  or  the  other  members  of  the  Commission  shall
10    disqualify a member, with respect  to  any  matter  in  which
11    disqualification  or  recusal  would  be  required of a Judge
12    under rules  of  the  Supreme  Court  or  statutes  governing
13    disqualification or recusal.
14        If  a  member  of  the  Commission  is  disqualified with
15    respect to any matter, that member shall be replaced  by  one
16    of  his or her alternates in a manner provided by rule of the
17    Supreme Court.  The alternate shall  act  as  member  of  the
18    Courts Commission with respect to that matter only.
19        The Commission and shall have power to issue subpoenas.
20        The  General  Assembly  shall  provide  by  law  for  the
21    expenses of the Commission.
22    (Source: Illinois Constitution.)
23                              SCHEDULE
24        This  Constitutional Amendment takes effect upon approval
25    by the electors of this State.

[ Top ]