Public Act 103-0597
 
HB4226 EnrolledLRB103 33243 LNS 63052 b

    AN ACT concerning courts.
 
    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 
represented in the General Assembly:
 
    Section 5. The Circuit Courts Act is amended by changing 
Section 2f as follows:
 
    (705 ILCS 35/2f)  (from Ch. 37, par. 72.2f)
    Sec. 2f. Circuit of Cook County. 
    (a) Until December 2, 2024, the Circuit of Cook County 
shall be divided into 15 units to be known as subcircuits. On 
and after December 2, 2024, the Circuit of Cook County is 
divided into 20 subcircuits as drawn by the General Assembly. 
The subcircuits shall be compact, contiguous, and 
substantially equal in population. Beginning in 2031, the 
General Assembly shall, in the year following each federal 
decennial census, redraw the boundaries of the subcircuits to 
reflect the results of the most recent federal decennial 
census.
    In accordance with subsection (d), a resident judgeship 
assigned to a subcircuit shall continue to be assigned to that 
subcircuit. Any vacancy in a resident judgeship existing on or 
occurring after the effective date of a law redrawing the 
boundaries of the subcircuits shall be filled by a resident of 
the redrawn subcircuit.
    (b) The 165 resident judges to be elected from the Circuit 
of Cook County shall be determined under paragraph (4) of 
subsection (a) of Section 2 of the Judicial Vacancies Act.
    (c) For resident judgeships to be filled by election on or 
before the 2022 general election, the Supreme Court shall 
allot (i) the additional resident judgeships provided by 
paragraph (4) of subsection (a) of Section 2 of the Judicial 
Vacancies Act and (ii) all vacancies in resident judgeships 
existing on or occurring on or after the effective date of this 
amendatory Act of 1990, with respect to the other resident 
judgeships of the Circuit of Cook County, for election from 
the various subcircuits until there are 11 resident judges to 
be elected from each of the 15 subcircuits (for a total of 
165). A resident judgeship authorized before the effective 
date of this amendatory Act of 1990 that became vacant and was 
filled by appointment by the Supreme Court before that 
effective date shall be filled by election at the general 
election in November of 1992 from the unit of the Circuit of 
Cook County within Chicago or the unit of that Circuit outside 
Chicago, as the case may be, in which the vacancy occurred.
    (d) As soon as practicable after the subcircuits are 
created by law, the Supreme Court shall determine by lot a 
numerical order for the 15 subcircuits. That numerical order 
shall be the basis for the order in which resident judgeships 
are assigned to the subcircuits. After the first round of 
assignments, the second and all later rounds shall be based on 
the same numerical order. Once a resident judgeship is 
assigned to a subcircuit, it shall continue to be assigned to 
that subcircuit for all purposes; provided that a resident 
judge elected from a subcircuit seeking retention shall run 
for retention at large in the circuit in accordance with 
Article VI, Section 12(d) of the Illinois Constitution. No 
elected judge of the Circuit of Cook County serving on January 
7, 2022 shall be required to change his or her residency in 
order to continue serving in office or to seek retention in 
office as resident judgeships are allotted by the Supreme 
Court in accordance with this Section.
    (d-5) For resident judgeships to be filled by election on 
or after the 2024 general election, a vacancy of a resident 
judgeship to be elected from a subcircuit shall be allotted by 
the Supreme Court to the subcircuit created under the Judicial 
Circuits Districting Act of 2022 that numerically corresponds 
to the subcircuit from which the resident judgeship was 
previously allotted. For any resident judgeship to be elected 
from a subcircuit that was not previously allotted to a 
subcircuit, vacancies shall be allotted in numerical order to 
subcircuits created under the Judicial Circuits Districting 
Act of 2022 which numerically correspond to subcircuits that 
had less than 11 resident judges on January 7, 2022 until there 
are 11 resident judges to be elected from each of the 
respective subcircuits. Vacancies in associate judgeships 
authorized under Section 2(a) of the Associate Judges Act 
occurring or after June 1, 2023 shall be converted to resident 
circuit judgeships and shall be allotted in numerical order to 
subcircuits Any vacancies in formerly associate judgeships 
converted to resident circuit judgeships in the Circuit of 
Cook County occurring on or after June 1, 2023 shall be 
allotted in numerical order to Judicial Subcircuits 16, 17, 
18, 19, and 20, until there are 11 resident judges to be 
elected from each of those subcircuits (for a total of 55). 
Beginning with the 2024 election cycle, the The maximum number 
of formerly associate judgeship vacancies which shall be 
judgeships converted to resident circuit judgeships to which 
may be allotted to Judicial Subcircuits 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 
in an election cycle shall be 10 resident circuit 2 
judgeships, with each subcircuit allotted no more than 2 
resident circuit judgeships per election cycle. Any additional 
associate judgeship vacancies in excess of the maximum number 
per election cycle shall not be converted to resident circuit 
judgeships and shall be filled according to Supreme Court Rule 
39 until such time that a vacancy in the associate judgeship 
occurs. A vacancy occurs when an associate judge dies, 
resigns, retires, is removed, or is not reappointed upon the 
expiration of his or her term; a vacancy does not occur at the 
expiration of a term if the associate judge is reappointed. As 
used in this subsection, "election cycle" means the period 
that begins on the day following the last day to certify 
judicial vacancies for election at the next general election 
and ends on the last day to certify judicial vacancies for 
election at the next general election, as provided in Section 
25-3 of the Election Code subcircuit. 
    (e) A resident judge elected from a subcircuit shall 
continue to reside in that subcircuit as long as he or she 
holds that office. A resident judge elected from a subcircuit 
after January 1, 2008, must retain residency as a registered 
voter in the subcircuit to run for retention from the circuit 
at large thereafter. 
(Source: P.A. 101-477, eff. 6-1-20; 102-668, eff. 11-15-21; 
102-693, eff. 1-7-22; 102-1126, eff. 2-10-23.)
 
    Section 10. The Associate Judges Act is amended by 
changing Section 2 as follows:
 
    (705 ILCS 45/2)  (from Ch. 37, par. 160.2)
    Sec. 2. (a) The maximum number of associate judges 
authorized for each circuit is the greater of the applicable 
minimum number specified in this Section or one for each 
35,000 or fraction thereof in population as determined by the 
last preceding Federal census, except for circuits with a 
population of more than 3,000,000 where the maximum number of 
associate judges is one for each 29,000 or fraction thereof in 
population as determined by the last preceding federal census, 
reduced in circuits of less than 200,000 inhabitants by the 
number of resident circuit judges elected in the circuit in 
excess of one per county, except that the maximum number of 
associate judges authorized for the 24th circuit shall be 3. 
In addition, in circuits of 1,000,000 or more inhabitants, 
there shall be one additional associate judge authorized for 
each municipal district of the circuit court. The number of 
associate judges to be appointed in each circuit, not to 
exceed the maximum authorized, shall be determined from time 
to time by the Circuit Court. The minimum number of associate 
judges authorized for any circuit consisting of a single 
county shall be 14, except that the minimum in the 22nd circuit 
shall be 8, the minimum in the 19th circuit on and after 
December 4, 2006 shall be 20, and the maximum number of 
associate judges in the 20th circuit on and after December 5, 
2022 shall be 12. The minimum number of associate judges 
authorized for any circuit consisting of 2 counties with a 
combined population of at least 275,000 but less than 300,000 
shall be 10. The minimum number of associate judges authorized 
for any circuit with a population of at least 303,000 but not 
more than 309,000 shall be 10. The minimum number of associate 
judges authorized for any circuit with a population of at 
least 329,000, but not more than 349,999 shall be 11. The 
minimum number of associate judges authorized for any circuit 
with a population of at least 173,000 shall be 5. The number of 
associate judges authorized for a circuit shall not be reduced 
as a result of the 2020 federal decennial census. As used in 
this Section, the term "resident circuit judge" has the 
meaning given it in the Judicial Vacancies Act.
    (b) The maximum number of associate judges authorized 
under subsection (a) for a circuit with a population of more 
than 3,000,000 shall be reduced as provided in this subsection 
(b). For each vacancy that exists on or occurs on or after the 
effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990, that maximum 
number shall be reduced by one until the total number of 
associate judges authorized under subsection (a) is reduced by 
60. A vacancy exists or occurs when an associate judge dies, 
resigns, retires, is removed, or is not reappointed upon 
expiration of his or her term; a vacancy does not exist or 
occur at the expiration of a term if the associate judge is 
reappointed.
    (b-5) The maximum number of associate judges authorized 
under subsection (a) for a circuit with a population of more 
than 3,000,000 shall be reduced as provided in this subsection 
(b-5). Vacancies in associate judgeships authorized under 
subsection (a) occurring on or after June 1, 2023 shall be 
converted to resident circuit judgeships and shall be allotted 
in numerical order to subcircuits 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20 Each 
associate judgeship vacancy that occurs on or after June 1, 
2023 shall be converted to a resident circuit judgeship and 
allotted to a subcircuit pursuant to subsection (d-5) of 
Section 2f of the Circuit Courts Act, with each subcircuit 
allotted no more than a total of 11 resident circuit 
judgeships. Each election cycle, beginning with the 2024 
election cycle, a maximum of 10 associate judgeship vacancies 
shall be converted to resident circuit judgeships pursuant to 
subsection (d-5) of Section 2f of the Circuit Courts Act and 
that maximum number shall be reduced by one until the total 
number of associate judges authorized under subsection (a) is 
reduced by 55. The maximum number of formerly associate 
judgeships which may be converted to resident circuit 
judgeships and which may be allotted to subcircuits 16, 17, 
18, 19, and 20 in an election cycle shall be 10 2 judgeships 
with each per subcircuit being allotted no more than 2 
resident circuit judgeships per election cycle. Any additional 
associate judgeship vacancies in excess of the maximum number 
per election cycle shall not be converted to resident circuit 
judgeships and shall be filled according to Supreme Court Rule 
39 until such time that a vacancy in the associate judgeship 
occurs. A vacancy occurs when an associate judge dies, 
resigns, retires, is removed, or is not reappointed upon 
expiration of his or her term; a vacancy does not occur at the 
expiration of a term if the associate judge is reappointed. As 
used in this subsection, "election cycle" means the period 
that begins on the day following the last day to certify 
judicial vacancies for election at the next general election 
and ends on the last day to certify judicial vacancies for 
election at the next general election, as provided in Section 
25-3 of the Election Code. 
    (c) The maximum number of associate judges authorized 
under subsection (a) for the 17th judicial circuit shall be 
reduced as provided in this subsection (c). Due to the vacancy 
that exists on or after the effective date of this amendatory 
Act of the 93rd General Assembly in the associate judgeship 
that is converted into a resident judgeship under subsection 
(a-10) of Section 2f-6 of the Circuit Courts Act, the maximum 
number of judges authorized under subsection (a) of this 
Section shall be reduced by one. A vacancy exists or occurs 
when an associate judge dies, resigns, retires, is removed, or 
is not reappointed upon expiration of his or her term; a 
vacancy does not exist or occur at the expiration of a term if 
the associate judge is reappointed. 
    (d) The maximum number of associate judges authorized 
under subsection (a) for the 23rd judicial circuit shall be 
reduced as provided in this subsection (d). Due to the vacancy 
that exists on or after the effective date of this amendatory 
Act of the 98th General Assembly in the associate judgeship 
that is converted into a resident judgeship under subsection 
(k) of Section 2f-10 of the Circuit Courts Act, the maximum 
number of judges authorized under subsection (a) of this 
Section shall be reduced by one. 
(Source: P.A. 102-693, eff. 1-7-22; 102-1126, eff. 2-10-23.)
 
    Section 15. The Court Reporters Act is amended by changing 
Section 7 as follows:
 
    (705 ILCS 70/7)  (from Ch. 37, par. 657)
    Sec. 7. Proficiency tests. Each court reporter may be 
required by the chief judge to shall take a test to verify his 
or her proficiency within one year of employment. The test 
shall be prepared and administered by the employer 
representative in consultation with each of the other employer 
representatives pursuant to standards set by rules. A 
proficiency test passed prior to employment may be accepted by 
the chief judge as proof of proficiency. 
(Source: P.A. 101-581, eff. 1-1-20.)
 
    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 
becoming law.