(705 ILCS 40/2) (from Ch. 37, par. 72.42)

Sec. 2. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) of this subsection (a), vacancies in the office of a resident circuit judge in any county or in any unit or subcircuit of any circuit shall not be filled.

(1) If in any county of less than 45,000 inhabitants there remains in office no other resident judge following the occurrence of a vacancy, such vacancy shall be filled.

(2) If in any county of 45,000 or more but less than 60,000 inhabitants there remains in office only one resident judge following the occurrence of a vacancy, such vacancy shall be filled.

(3) If in any county of 60,000 or more inhabitants, other than the County of Cook or as provided in paragraph (5), there remain in office no more than 2 resident judges following the occurrence of a vacancy, such vacancy shall be filled.

(4) The County of Cook shall have 220 resident judges. Of those resident judgeships, (i) 56 shall be those authorized before the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990 from the unit of the Circuit of Cook County within Chicago, (ii) 27 shall be those authorized before the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990 from the unit of the Circuit of Cook County outside Chicago, (iii) 12 shall be additional resident judgeships first elected at the general election in November of 1992, (iv) 10 shall be additional resident judgeships first elected at the general election in November of 1994, (v) 60 shall be additional resident judgeships to be authorized one each for each reduction upon vacancy in the office of associate judge in the Circuit of Cook County as those vacancies exist or occur on and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990 and as those vacancies are determined under subsection (b) of Section 2 of the Associate Judges Act until the total resident judgeships authorized under this item (v) is 60, and (vi) 55 shall be additional resident judgeships to be authorized one each for each reduction upon vacancy in the office of associate judge in the Circuit of Cook County as those vacancies occur on and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 102nd General Assembly and as those vacancies are determined under subsection (b-5) of Section 2 of the Associate Judges Act until the total resident judgeships authorized under this item (vi) is 55. Seven of the 12 additional resident judgeships provided in item (iii) may be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court during the period beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990 and ending 60 days before the primary election in March of 1992; those judicial appointees shall serve until the first Monday in December of 1992. Five of the 12 additional resident judgeships provided in item (iii) may be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court during the period beginning July 1, 1991 and ending 60 days before the primary election in March of 1992; those judicial appointees shall serve until the first Monday in December of 1992. Five of the 10 additional resident judgeships provided in item (iv) may be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court during the period beginning July 1, 1992 and ending 60 days before the primary election in March of 1994; those judicial appointees shall serve until the first Monday in December of 1994. The remaining 5 of the 10 additional resident judgeships provided in item (iv) may be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court during the period beginning July 1, 1993 and ending 60 days before the primary election in March of 1994; those judicial appointees shall serve until the first Monday in December 1994. The additional resident judgeships created upon vacancy in the office of associate judge provided in item (v) may be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990; but no additional resident judgeships created upon vacancy in the office of associate judge provided in item (v) shall be filled during the 59 day period before the next primary election to nominate judges. The Circuit of Cook County shall be divided into units to be known as subcircuits as provided in Section 2f of the Circuit Courts Act. A vacancy in the office of resident judge of the Circuit of Cook County existing on or occurring on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990, but before the date the subcircuits are created by law, shall be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court from the unit within Chicago or the unit outside Chicago, as the case may be, in which the vacancy occurs and filled by election from the subcircuit to which it is allotted under Section 2f of the Circuit Courts Act. A vacancy in the office of resident judge of the Circuit of Cook County existing on or occurring on or after the date the subcircuits are created by law shall be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court and by election from the subcircuit to which it is allotted under Section 2f of the Circuit Courts Act.

(5) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this subsection (a), resident judges in the 12th, 16th, 17th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th judicial circuits are as provided in Sections 2f-1, 2f-2, 2f-4, 2f-5, 2f-6, 2f-9, 2f-10, and 2f-12 of the Circuit Courts Act.

(b) Nothing in paragraphs (2) or (3) of subsection (a) of this Section shall be construed to require or permit in any county a greater number of resident judges than there were resident associate judges on January 1, 1967.

(c) Vacancies authorized to be filled by this Section 2 shall be filled in the manner provided in Article VI of the Constitution.

(d) A person appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of circuit judge shall be, at the time of appointment, a resident of the subcircuit from which the person whose vacancy is being filled was elected if the vacancy occurred in a circuit divided into subcircuits. If a vacancy in the office of circuit judge occurred in a circuit not divided into subcircuits, a person appointed to fill the vacancy shall be, at the time of appointment, a resident of the circuit from which the person whose vacancy is being filled was elected. Except as provided in Sections 2f-1, 2f-2, 2f-4, 2f-5, 2f-6, and 2f-9 of the Circuit Courts Act, if a vacancy occurred in the office of a resident circuit judge, a person appointed to fill the vacancy shall be, at the time of appointment, a resident of the county from which the person whose vacancy is being filled was elected.

(Source: P.A. 102-380, eff. 8-13-21; 102-1126, eff. 2-10-23.)