1.01 Power of Court to Adopt Rules1.02 Local Rules 1.03 General Orders1.04 Administrative Orders1.05 Standing Order1.06 Construction of Local Rules, General Orders, Administrative Orders, and Standing Orders1.07 Record Keeping 1.01 POWER OF COURT TO ADOPT RULES The 17th Circuit Court has the power to promulgate rules and orders pursuant to Section 5/1-104 (b) of the Code of Civil Procedure and Supreme Court Rule 21 providing that they are consistent with Supreme Court Rules and statutes. Amended 2/18/2025 Back to the Top 1.02 LOCAL RULES Local Rules of the 17th Circuit Court, as last collectively ratified on October 1, 1991, are promulgated pursuant to Section 5/1-104 (b) of the Code of Civil Procedure, which provides that the circuit court may make rules regulating its dockets, calendars and business, and pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 21 (a), which provides that a majority of the circuit judges in each circuit may adopt rules governing civil and criminal cases, including remote appearances, which are consistent with Supreme Court Rules and statutes. All Local Rules and any amendments to the Local Rules shall be filed with the Administrative Director of the Illinois Supreme Court within 10 days after they are adopted, pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 21. Local Rules shall pertain to matters of judicial administration and specialized procedures in relation to individual case types. All rules shall govern circuit-wide unless designated for a specific county. Creation and amendment of a Local Rule may be proposed to the circuit judges by the Presiding Judge of any Court Division, and shall be passed by a majority vote of all circuit judges of the 17th Judicial Circuit. Amended 2/18/2025 Back to the Top 1.03 GENERAL ORDERS Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 21 (e), the chief judge of each circuit may enter General Orders in the exercise of his or her general administrative authority to enable the performance of judicial functions with efficiency, independence, and dignity. General Order shall address matters such as: (i) the assignment of judges, general or specialized divisions, and times and places of holding court, and (ii) the nature of any needed court-related personnel, facilities, or resources. Amended 2/18/2025 Back to the Top 1.04 ADMINISTRATIVE ORDERS The chief judge is further authorized to enter Administrative Orders as a subclass of General Orders. Administrative Orders shall generally address matters of singular importance such as case assignments, judicial appointments, oaths of office, research studies and security matters. Amended 2/18/2025 Back to the Top 1.05 STANDING ORDERS All judges of the 17th Judicial Circuit are authorized to enter standing orders which set forth their expectations with respect to particular practices, procedures and conduct within their courtrooms. This may include pre-trial memoranda, courtesy copies, and any other rule published by a particular judge. So far as practicable, rules governing civil and criminal cases and practices shall be uniform through a Court Division while recognizing individualized judicial discretion for courtroom and case management practices. All proposed standing orders shall be submitted to the chief judge for review prior to posting within a judge's courtroom and on the judge's individual page on the 17th Judicial Circuit's web site. Amended 2/18/2025 Back to the Top 1.06 CONSTRUCTION OF LOCAL RULES, GENERAL ORDERS, ADMINISTRATIVE ORDERS AND STANDING ORDERS All Local Rules, General Orders, Administrative Orders and Standing Orders shall be construed and enforced so as to avoid inconsistency with other rules of court and statutes governing proceedings, functions and services of this court. In their application and administration, they shall be construed and employed to provide fairness and simplicity in procedure to avoid delay. The law governing the construction of statutes (5 ILCS 70/1, et seq.) shall apply to the construction of all rules and orders. In the event of any conflict between the content of a rule and that of an order, the rule shall prevail. In the event of a conflict between an order and an individual judge's standing order, the order shall prevail. Words or phrases that import the masculine or feminine genders shall be construed to include all genders and ungendered, unless such construction would be inconsistent with the manifest intention of the context of a rule. It is recognized that Rules and Orders can give guidance regarding protocols and business with the court, and should be constructed in plain language, as much as possible. Amended 2/18/2025 Back to the Top 1.07 RECORD KEEPING Copies of Local Rules, General Orders, Administrative Orders and Standing Orders shall be maintained by the Office of the Chief Judge and be available for inspection as public documents. Amended 2/18/2025 Back to the Top
