Illinois Court System
The Appellate Court
The Illinois Appellate Court is divided into five Judicial Districts. Cook County comprises the entire First Judicial District, with the rest of the State being divided into the remaining four judicial districts of "substantially equal population, each of which shall be compact and composed of contiguous counties." The Nineteenth Judicial Circuit and five other circuits comprise the Second Judicial District of the Appellate Court.
Click here for a map of the Illinois Appellate Districts.
Any party has a right to appeal a decision of the Circuit Court to the Appellate Court, except the State's Attorney, who cannot appeal a verdict of not guilty. Attorneys present arguments to the Appellate Court about whether the trial court made an error in applying the law. They do not relitigate the facts of the original trial. Three judges hear an appellate case and a majority vote of two is required to decide the case.
The Appellate Court affirms the trial court decision if it finds there has been no error committed in the application of the law, or if the error was so minimal that it made little difference in the outcome of the trial. The Appellate Court may reverse the trial court decision or remand the case for a new trial if there has been a substantive error in the application of the law. In this instance the case is normally sent back to the Circuit Court for further action.
Currently, one judge from Lake County serves on the Illinois Appellate Court, Second District. The Honorable Mary Seminara Schostok was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2008.
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