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90_SB1029 5 ILCS 295/2.1 new 705 ILCS 40/1.5 new 705 ILCS 40/2 from Ch. 37, par. 72.42 Amends the Judicial Vacancies Act and the Assigned Appellate Judges Salary Act. Provides that, when there is a vacancy in the office of Supreme, Appellate, or Circuit Judge, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, may appoint a person to serve in the office. Provides that this method is the sole and exclusive method for filling a vacancy. Does not apply to the filling of the office of Associate Judge. Eliminates provisions authorizing the Supreme Court to fill certain judicial vacancies. Effective immediately. LRB9002738WHmg LRB9002738WHmg 1 AN ACT in relation to the appointment of judges. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The Assigned Appellate Judges Salary Act is 5 amended by adding Section 2.1 as follows: 6 (5 ILCS 295/2.1 new) 7 Sec. 2.1. Construction. Nothing in this Act shall be 8 construed to permit the Supreme Court to appoint judges after 9 the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997. 10 Section 10. The Judicial Vacancies Act is amended by 11 adding Section 1.5 and changing Section 2 as follows: 12 (705 ILCS 40/1.5 new) 13 Sec. 1.5. Appointment by Governor. When there is a 14 vacancy in the office of Supreme, Appellate, or Circuit 15 Judge, the Governor, with the advice and consent of the 16 Senate, may appoint a person to serve in the office under 17 subsection (c) of Section 12 of Article VI of the Illinois 18 Constitution. The person appointed by the Governor must meet 19 all constitutional and statutory requirements that apply to 20 the particular office that is being filled. The method set 21 forth in this Section is the sole and exclusive method by 22 which an appointment may be made to fill a vacancy occurring 23 in the office of Supreme, Appellate, or Circuit Judge under 24 subsection (c) of Section 12 of Article VI of the Illinois 25 Constitution. The Supreme Court shall not fill any vacancy in 26 the office of Supreme, Appellate, or Circuit Judge. Nothing 27 in this Section applies to the filling of the office of 28 Associate Judge. Nothing in this Section abrogates any 29 appointment made by the Supreme Court under subsection (c) of -2- LRB9002738WHmg 1 Section 12 of Article VI of the Illinois Constitution before 2 the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1997. Nothing 3 in this Section authorizes the filling of a particular 4 vacancy if a law provides that the vacancy shall not be 5 filled. 6 (705 ILCS 40/2) (from Ch. 37, par. 72.42) 7 Sec. 2. (a) Except as provided in paragraphs (1), (2), 8 (3) and (4) of this subsection (a), vacancies in the office 9 of a resident circuit judge in any county or in any unit or 10 subcircuit of any circuit shall not be filled. 11 (1) If in any county of less than 45,000 12 inhabitants there remains in office no other resident 13 judge following the occurrence of a vacancy, such vacancy 14 shall be filled. 15 (2) If in any county of 45,000 or more but less 16 than 60,000 inhabitants there remains in office only one 17 resident judge following the occurrence of a vacancy, 18 such vacancy shall be filled. 19 (3) If in any county of 60,000 or more inhabitants, 20 other than the County of Cook, there remain in office no 21 more than 2 resident judges following the occurrence of a 22 vacancy, such vacancy shall be filled. 23 (4) The County of Cook shall have 165 resident 24 judges on and after the effective date of this amendatory 25 Act of 1990. Of those resident judgeships, (i) 56 shall 26 be those authorized before the effective date of this 27 amendatory Act of 1990 from the unit of the Circuit of 28 Cook County within Chicago, (ii) 27 shall be those 29 authorized before the effective date of this amendatory 30 Act of 1990 from the unit of the Circuit of Cook County 31 outside Chicago, (iii) 12 shall be additional resident 32 judgeships first elected at the general election in 33 November of 1992, (iv) 10 shall be additional resident -3- LRB9002738WHmg 1 judgeships first elected at the general election in 2 November of 1994, and (v) 60 shall be additional resident 3 judgeships to be authorized one each for each reduction 4 upon vacancy in the office of associate judge in the 5 Circuit of Cook County as those vacancies exist or occur 6 on and after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 7 1990 and as those vacancies are determined under 8 subsection (b) of Section 2 of the Associate Judges Act 9 until the total resident judgeships authorized under this 10 item (v) is 60. Seven of the 12 additional resident 11 judgeships provided in item (iii) may be filled by 12 appointment by the Supreme Court during the period 13 beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 14 1990 and ending 60 days before the primary election in 15 March of 1992; those judicial appointees shall serve 16 until the first Monday in December of 1992. Five of the 17 12 additional resident judgeships provided in item (iii) 18 may be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court during 19 the period beginning July 1, 1991 and ending 60 days 20 before the primary election in March of 1992; those 21 judicial appointees shall serve until the first Monday in 22 December of 1992. Five of the 10 additional resident 23 judgeships provided in item (iv) may be filled by 24 appointment by the Supreme Court during the period 25 beginning July 1, 1992 and ending 60 days before the 26 primary election in March of 1994; those judicial 27 appointees shall serve until the first Monday in December 28 of 1994. The remaining 5 of the 10 additional resident 29 judgeships provided in item (iv) may be filled by 30 appointment by the Supreme Court during the period 31 beginning July 1, 1993 and ending 60 days before the 32 primary election in March of 1994; those judicial 33 appointees shall serve until the first Monday in December 34 1994. The additional resident judgeships created upon -4- LRB9002738WHmg 1 vacancy in the office of associate judge provided in item 2 (v) may be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court 3 beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of 4 1990; but no additional resident judgeships created upon 5 vacancy in the office of associate judge provided in item 6 (v) shall be filled during the 59 day period before the 7 next primary election to nominate judges. The Circuit of 8 Cook County shall be divided into units to be known as 9 subcircuits as provided in Section 2f of the Circuit 10 Courts Act. A vacancy in the office of resident judge of 11 the Circuit of Cook County existing on or occurring on or 12 after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1990, 13 but before the date the subcircuits are created by law, 14 shall be filled by appointment by the Supreme Court from 15 the unit within Chicago or the unit outside Chicago, as 16 the case may be, in which the vacancy occurs and filled 17 by election from the subcircuit to which it is allotted 18 under Section 2f of the Circuit Courts Act. A vacancy in 19 the office of resident judge of the Circuit of Cook 20 County existing on or occurring on or after the date the 21 subcircuits are created by law shall be filled in 22 accordance with Section 1.5by appointment by the Supreme23Courtand by election from the subcircuit to which it is 24 allotted under Section 2f of the Circuit Courts Act. 25 (b) Nothing in paragraphs (2) or (3) of subsection (a) 26 of this Section shall be construed to require or permit in 27 any county a greater number of resident judges than there 28 were resident associate judges on January 1, 1967. 29 (c) Vacancies authorized to be filled by this Section 2 30 shall be filled in the manner provided in Section 1.5Article31VI of the Constitution. 32 (Source: P.A. 86-786; 86-1478.) 33 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon -5- LRB9002738WHmg 1 becoming law.