Illinois Judicial System

Words: 834
Pages: 4
Open Document
I have decided to compare the judicial systems of Missouri and Illinois, since Illinois is my home state.

Both the state of Missouri and state of Illinois have three levels of courts.

The names of the courts in Illinois are not similar when compared to Missouri. Missouri’s three levels of courts are called the Supreme Court of Missouri, the Missouri Court of Appeals, and the circuit courts. The Supreme Court of Missouri is the highest level of court in Missouri and it supervises all the other courts below it. The only case in which the Supreme Court of Missouri will review a case is if it is decided by the Court of Appeals or has been appealed in a lower level court. The Court of Appeals review cases that have been appealed by the circuit …show more content…
The last of the levels of courts in Missouri are the circuit courts. Every county in the state of Missouri has a circuit court for a total of 45 circuit courts in the state. Each circuit court is divided into smaller court divisions that specialize in a certain type of case such as: juvenile, criminal, small claims, etc. Illinois’ three levels of courts are called the Supreme Court, the Appellate Court, and the Unified Trial Court in Illinois or Circuit Court**. The Supreme Court is the highest level of court in the state of Illinois. Just like Missouri’s Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court also supervises all courts in Illinois. The Supreme Court hears cases that have been appealed at lower levels, similar to the Supreme Court of Missouri. Illinois is broken up into 5 different districts which each has its own Appellate Court, for a total of 5 courts. The Appellate Court hears cases that have been appealed at the circuit court level. The Unified Trial Court or Circuit Court hear cases that have been given to them specifically by the Chief Judge. Illinois is divided into 23 judicial circuits, each having its own court for a total of 23 circuit courts in the state. (I’m not sure which is right, but when I look on another page in …show more content…
There are 32 judges that serve on 3 Court of Appeals that are elected by the nonpartisan court plan. 11 judges are from the Western District, 14 judges from the Eastern District, and 7 from the Southern District. The circuit court judges are elected in rural areas by popular vote by partisan election, however in metro areas (such as St. Louis, Kansas City, and Jefferson City) judges are elected by the Missouri Plan. In Illinois there are also 7 Supreme Court Judges, 3 from the 1st district (Cook County) and 1 from each of the other 4 districts all elected by partisan elections. On the Appellate Courts in Illinois there are currently 52 judges that serve on 5 courts. 18 judges are from District 1 (Cook County) and the remaining 4 districts elect 6 judges each. These Appellate Court judges are elected by partisan elections, then will run in nonpartisan elections for retention. The circuit court judges must be elected by partisan elections, then will run in nonpartisan elections for retention. Illinois differs in all election types for all 3 levels of
Show More

Related Documents: Illinois Judicial System

Permancy Placement Analysis

In searching permanency placement within the foster care system, articles have shown different outcomes which have created a debate. The debate between the literatures express that all foster care agencies are presented with barriers dealing with the entry of a child in the child welfare system but the strategies in which they find to promote an increase in permanency placement works for some states and not others. In attempts to understand what those barriers are, I will show how the two states…

Words 473 - Pages 2

Capital Punishment Research Paper

Ms. Hood English 11 19 December 2011 Capital Punishment More and more people that are convicted of a crime are found innocent within the prison system every year. Guilty people can and do go free while the innocent are sometimes convicted. Why is this? Capital punishment was influenced by the British. It influenced America’s use of the death penalty more than any other country. When the Europeans came to the new world they brought the practice of capital punishment. The Supreme Court had ruled…

Words 946 - Pages 4

Essay about Roles and Functions of Law

ETH/321 September 29,2014 Roles and Functions of Law Today I will cover several topics. I will be discussing the comparison and contrast of the federal court structure with the state of Illinois court structure, the roles of law and courts in today’s business environment and the concept of judicial review. I will also explain how laws and regulations affect the childcare industry. The differences between federal and state courts are defined mainly by jurisdiction. Jurisdiction refers to…

Words 851 - Pages 4

Essay about BLTE 10e AM Ch03

the even-numbered For Review questions in Appendix F at the end of the text. We repeat these answers here as a convenience to you. 1A Judicial review The courts can decide whether the laws or actions of the legislative and executive branches of government are constitutional. The process for making this determi­nation is judicial review. The doctrine of judicial review was established in 1803 when the United States Supreme Court decided Marbury v. Madison. 2A Jurisdiction To hear a case, a court…

Words 3428 - Pages 14

Research: Slavery in the United States and Stephen a . Douglas Essay

NORTHWEST ORDINANCE: The Significance for Illinois 1. Opening of territories to the West 2. Navigable transportation routes to New Orleans 3. Migration and development *Oral Notes: The NW Ordinance outlawed slavery in the creation of new states, something which factored into the Civil War. The Louisiana Purchase, 1803 Acquisition of the trans-Mississippi West (today: 14 states, about ¼ of the current US landmass—at the time, one-half of the nation From the Spanish via Napoleon and the French—a…

Words 726 - Pages 3

Racial Discrimination In The Judicial System

It is commonly believed, that there is racial discrimination in the Judicial system. Surprisingly, not many people are open about racial discrimination in the workforce. Racial discrimination in the workforce is illegal, yet people do it anyway. It has lasted through the years, and even though it may not be in the form slavery, nor may it be open, but it is still present, destructive, and pervasive. Despite what people may say, racial discrimination is still going on today. Racial discrimination…

Words 873 - Pages 4

Business Law week 1 Essay

U.S. legal system was formed under the laws of the Anglo-Saxon legal family, so the main source of law it is considered a legal precedent. Precedent called the court's decision in a particular case shall become effective source of law, which is receiving the ability to set, modify or revoke the legal norms. U.S. common law suggests the existence of a hierarchy of precedents on which decisions taken by higher courts is binding in cases before the lower courts. U.S. common law system is in constant…

Words 1057 - Pages 5

Essay on Minority Inmates

Prof. Nielson March 25, 2013 The Minority Inmate Population: A Look at Racial Bias in our Judicial System In 2012 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that minorities make up 36% of the general population and 57% of the prison population. Recent studies have shown that the attractiveness, race, and social status of the defendant, the way a jury is selected, and the race of the presiding judge all play a role in the sentencing of minority defendants. The likelihood that a minority defendant…

Words 1350 - Pages 6

Hillary Clinton's Informative Essay: The Woman For Change

is little speculation that she will win the Democratic preliminaries. On the campaign trail, Clinton uses her past experiences to help her advocate her liberal platform of how she will make changes to the tuition rates of colleges, rectify the judicial system, and fix unfair wages. Starting with her modest beginnings in Park…

Words 1077 - Pages 5

Essay on Capital Punishment

Society has to move beyond the "eye for an eye" revenge mentality if civilization is to progress. “ What is increasingly happening is a failure to distinguish between the interests of society and those of the immediate victims, then the whole purpose of a judicial system is being subverted” (Cohen). Capital punishment has many cons including that it is ineffective and unsure, financial cost, and the question of morality. Capital punishment is ineffective. Murder rate is still high even with the death penalty…

Words 646 - Pages 3