From: IL Supreme Court

The Illinois Supreme Court announced today an amendment to Order M.R. 30370 concerning residential evictions. Timed to coincide with the resumption of eviction filings effective August 1, 2021, the amended Order provides for a one-month period in which the judiciary will focus on referring newly filed cases to State programs providing financial assistance to landlords and tenants.

Because of a concern that the expiration of the eviction moratorium could potentially flood Illinois Courts with a large volume of cases seeking to be heard and decided in a short time frame, the Illinois Supreme Court will institute a triage period in which certain newly filed residential eviction cases cannot be acted on until the final expiration of the moratorium. Courts will use this time to guide landlords and tenants to programs designed to help them avoid eviction.

The triage period will begin on August 1, 2021, with the implementation of this amended order, and will conclude on September 1, 2021, when the order is vacated.

From: Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County

Please note that eFileIL will be unavailable for Probate, Domestic Relations, and Domestic Violence Divisions beginning Wednesday, July 7th at 8:00 p.m. CST.  The system will be unavailable for e-filing until Monday, July 12th at 8:00 a.m.

During this time you will be able to file your court documents in person at the courthouse (Daley Center) for these divisions during regular business hours. Conventional filing will be available on Thursday, July 8 and Friday, July 9th from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

The motion type will no longer be selected in the Case Cross Reference section. It will now be selected in the Filings section.

You will select your motion related filing code and then select your motion type in the dropdown box below the filing code.

There will be more motion codes than before, and you will need to select the one that fits the case type or motion type you are filing. Select "Motion Hearing-Type Not Listed" if none of the other options fits your filing.

In addition, specific to the Probate division, you will no longer have to file a subsequent filing to schedule your Opening Case Management Hearing Date. The system will now generate your Opening Case Management date when your new case is accepted. The court date and time will print on the face of your e-filed documents.

Changes to the eFileIL system are effective July 12, 2021

From: Cook County - Domestic Relations Division

Effective immediately, each law firm or practitioner handling cases in the Domestic Relations Division may by Motion seek a Standing Order for the appointment of designated special process servers. Each Standing Order will have a six-month duration, with the first such Standing Order to expire on December 31 , 2021.  

Obtain details on presenting these motions and a form Standing Order Appointing Special Process Server in our discussion board!

From: Cook County Record

Illinois courthouses will be allowed to lift masking requirements for courthouse visitors, attorneys and personnel who are fully vaccinated.

On May 27, the Illinois Supreme Court issued an order amending its previous COVID-related mask rules.

Under the previous guidance, issued in August 2020 in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, everyone working in or visiting courthouses in Illinois were required to wear a face covering.

In the new order, the high court, following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control, now said courts may opt not to require face coverings only for people who have not been fully vaccinated. However, the order still allows lower courts throughout the state to require everyone in courthouses to wear face coverings, regardless of their vaccination status.

https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/600984465-il-supreme-court-courthouses-statewide-can-lift-masking-rules-for-vaccinated-visitors-workers-temp-checks-gone-too

From: Illinois Supreme Court

The Illinois Supreme Court announced amendments to Order M.R. 30370 regarding residential evictions. One of these amendments states that a landlord’s challenge to a tenant’s reliance on the Governor’s eviction moratorium must be raised in a motion that identifies with specificity the legal or factual basis for any such challenge and where facts pled in the motion are sworn under penalty of perjury. This change is intended to make clear that landlords maintain the burden of proving why the eviction moratorium does not apply to a tenant at all times. The amendments also state that the motion may be set for by hearing only if, on its face, it reflects a viable basis for relief. If the reviewing judge denies the motion, the case shall be dismissed, without prejudice, and the court record sealed. 

A copy of the Amended Order on Residential Evictions Proceedings can be found in our members' only Resource Center.

From: Workers’ Comp Commission Chairman

Please be advised that the Illinois Attorney General's computer system has become disabled.  This has rendered it impossible for the members of the Attorney General's Office to access their e-mail, calendars, and file notes.  Because of the difficulties now being experienced, the Attorney General's Office may be unable to proceed with matters that are set in the coming days.  

Further, they may be unable to respond to e-mail correspondence.  If for some reason an Assistant Attorney General does not appear for a matter that is set for hearing (pre-trial or trial) in the coming days, we have asked that the Commissioners and Arbitrators continue these cases. 

The Attorney General's Office will notify us when their system is back in operation. We will likewise notify the Bar of any additional developments. 

Sincerely, 

Michael J. Brennan 
Chairman

From: Illinois Supreme Court

Illinois justice stakeholders continue to analyze and discuss the massive criminal justice reform bill passed by the General Assembly in January and signed by Governor Pritzker on February 22, 2021. For the courts, the primary focus is on the Pretrial Fairness Act contained within this legislation which abolishes the use of cash bail in pretrial release decisions (effective January 1, 2023) and establishes new processes for pretrial release and detention decisions. 

While this legislation has elicited a wide range of responses, there are some things on which everyone can agree: (1) the Pretrial Fairness Act is historic – we are the first state to explicitly prohibit the use of money in pretrial detention decisions and (2) all eyes nationally are on Illinois. http://illinoiscourts.gov/Media/enews/2021/033021_director_column.asp

From: Arizona Courts

Arizona has created a limited legal practitioner program called Legal Paraprofessional. 

An LP is a professional with specific education and experience who is licensed to provide legal services in limited practice areas. This professional is often compared to a nurse practitioner in the medical field.

If you are interested in the program, check this short video to learn how the program works. https://youtu.be/TmPix6VBstU

Cook County Circuit Court to resume jury trials this spring, with multiple precautions against coronavirus spread.

http://www.cookcountycourt.org/MEDIA/View-Press-Release/ArticleId/2831/Cook-County-Circuit-Court-to-resume-jury-trials-this-spring-with-multiple-precautions-against-coronavirus-spread

From: DuPage Bar Association

Jury Trials to proceed March 1, 2021; Bench trials to proceed In-Person effective immediately; All Law Division courtrooms will be closed to attorneys and litigants, except for trials.

Matters set for status, case management, prove up, hearing and conferences will proceed remotely. Participation in these proceedings may be accomplished in one of two ways: a). By submitting an agreed order electronically (instructions below). or b). By videoconference using Zoom. The Zoom links will change daily, and you will be able to link to your court proceeding directly from the Clerk’s Office website at www.18thjudicial.org. Watch the February 8, 2021 Q and A Session with Hon. Robert Kleeman regarding the March 1, 2021 resumption of jury trials.