Illinois circuit courts
The Illinois circuit courts are state courts of the judiciary of Illinois. They are trial courts of original jurisdiction.
Judges
There are two kinds of judges in the circuit court: circuit judges and associate judges. Circuit judges are elected for six years, may be retained by voters for additional six-year terms, and can hear any kind of case. Circuit judges are generally elected on a circuit-wide basis or from the county where they reside. (In the Circuit Court of Cook County, which contains Chicago and is the largest of the 24 circuits in Illinois, circuit judges are elected from the entire county or as resident judges from each of the fifteen subcircuits within the county.) Associate judges are appointed by circuit judges, under Supreme Court rules, for four-year terms. An associate judge can hear any case, except criminal cases punishable by a prison term of one year or more, unless the associate judge has received approval from the Supreme Court to hear other criminal cases. Circuit judges in a circuit elect one of their members to serve as chief judge of the circuit court. Cases may be assigned to general or specialized divisions by the chief judge who has general administrative authority in the circuit, subject to the overall administrative authority of the Supreme Court.[1]
Jurisdiction
The circuit court has general jurisdiction and can decide, with few exceptions, any kind of case. (The exceptions are redistricting of the Illinois General Assembly and the ability of the governor of Illinois to serve or resume office.) The circuit court also shares jurisdiction with the Supreme Court of Illinois (the state supreme court) to hear cases relating to revenue, mandamus, prohibition, and habeas corpus. However, if the supreme court chooses to exercise its jurisdiction over these cases, the circuit court may not decide them. The circuit court also reviews administrative decisions of certain state agencies.
Circuits
There are 24 judicial circuits in the state, each comprising one or more of Illinois' 102 counties. The jurisdiction of seven of these circuits courts are solely within the confines of a single county; these are Cook, Kane, Will, DuPage, Lake, McHenry (all Chicago metropolitan area counties), and St. Clair. The other 18 circuits each contain between two and 12 counties.
Circuit Court of Cook County
See: Circuit Court of Cook County The Circuit Court of Cook County is not a numbered circuit. It has fifteen subcircuits. The Judicial Circuits Districting Act of 2022 increased the number of subcircuits to 20 subcircuits starting December 2, 2024.
First Circuit
The counties of Alexander, Pulaski, Massac, Pope, Johnson, Union, Jackson, Williamson, and Saline.[2]
Second Circuit
The counties of Hardin, Gallatin, White, Hamilton, Franklin, Wabash, Edwards, Wayne, Jefferson, Richland, Lawrence, and Crawford.[2]
Third Circuit
The counties of Madison and Bond.[2] Under the Judicial Circuits Districting Act of 2022, the third circuit is to receive two subcircuits.
Fourth Circuit
The counties of Clinton, Marion, Clay, Fayette, Effingham, Jasper, Montgomery, Shelby, and Christian.[2]
Fifth Circuit
The counties of Vermilion, Edgar, Clark, Cumberland, and Coles.[2]
Sixth Circuit
The counties of Champaign, Douglas, Moultrie, Macon, DeWitt, and Piatt.[2]
Seventh Circuit
The counties of Sangamon, Macoupin, Morgan, Scott, Greene, and Jersey.[2]
Eighth Circuit
The counties of Adams, Schuyler, Mason, Cass, Brown, Pike, Calhoun, and Menard.[2]
Ninth Circuit
The counties of Knox, Warren, Henderson, Hancock, McDonough, and Fulton.[2]
Tenth Circuit
The counties of Peoria, Marshall, Putnam, Stark, and Tazewell.[2]
Eleventh Circuit
The counties of McLean, Livingston, Logan, Ford, and Woodford.[2]
Twelfth Circuit
The county of Will.[2]
Thirteenth Circuit
The counties of Bureau, LaSalle, and Grundy.[2]
Fourteenth Circuit
The counties of Rock Island, Mercer, Whiteside, and Henry.[2]
Fifteenth Circuit
The counties of Jo Daviess, Stephenson, Carroll, Ogle, and Lee.[2]
Sixteenth Circuit
The county of Kane.[2]
Seventeenth Circuit
The counties of Winnebago and Boone.[2]
Eighteenth Circuit
The county of DuPage.[2]
Nineteenth Circuit
The county of Lake.[2]
Twentieth Circuit
As of December 5, 2022, the twentieth circuit consists solely of St. Clair County. Prior to December 5, 2022, it had also included the counties of Randolph, Monroe, Washington, and Perry.[2]
Twenty-first Circuit
The counties of Iroquois and Kankakee.[2]
Twenty-second Circuit
The county of McHenry.[2]
Twenty-third Circuit
The counties of DeKalb and Kendall.[2]
Twenty-fourth Circuit
The twenty-fourth circuit came into effect on December 5, 2022. It consists of the counties of Randolph, Monroe, Washington, and Perry.[2]