Frequently Asked Questions About the Illinois Appellate Court

Q: Where is Illinois’ Third Appellate District?

A: The Third District is one of five districts and encompasses the north/central counties in Illinois - District 3 is composed of DuPage, Will, Bureau, Grundy, Iroquois, Kankakee, and LaSalle counties.

The total population is just under two million people.  Of those people, almost one million live in DuPage County, almost seven hundred thousand people in Will County, and about three hundred thirty thousand people live across the other five counties.

 Q: What kind of cases does an Illinois Appellate Court hear?

A: The Appellate Court hears appeals from trials held in the Circuit Courts. There are five districts of the Appellate Court, and Judges are elected for 10-year terms. Cook County, which comprises the 1st District, has 18 Appellate Judges. The remaining 101 counties are divided into four districts that elect six Judges each. Additional Judges are assigned by the Supreme Court to the Appellate Court, temporarily, on a showing of need.

Q: How do you become an Appellate Court Justice?

A: In Illinois, Appellate Court Justices must run in a competitive, open election to win a seat on the bench.

Once elected, the Appellate Court Justice does not need to run another open race against opponents, but rather is up for “retention” every 10 years. Once every 10 years, the Appellate Court Justice’s name will appear on the ballot to ask if the Justice should be retained. If over 60% of voters say, “Yes, retain the Justice,” the Justice will retain his or her seat on the bench for another 10 years.