Illinois Statutes Chapter 705. Courts § 25/1. Establishment; number of districts and judges; assignment of judges; quorum

§ 1. (a) A branch of the appellate court is established in each of the 5 judicial districts as such districts are determined by law.

(b) In the first judicial district, 18 appellate court judges shall be elected.

(c) In the second judicial district, 6 appellate court judges shall be elected. In the third judicial district, 6 appellate court judges shall be elected. In the fourth judicial district, 6 appellate court judges shall be elected. The 2 additional fourth district appellate court judgeships authorized by this amendatory Act of 1993 shall be initially filled by election at the general election in 1994. In the fifth judicial district, 6 appellate court judges shall be elected.

(d) The Supreme Court may assign additional judges to service in the appellate court from time to time as the business of the appellate court requires. There shall be a number of divisions of not less than 3 judges each, as the Supreme Court shall prescribe. Assignments to divisions shall be made by the Supreme Court and a judge may be assigned to a division in a district other than the district in which such judge resides. The organization of the appellate court and its divisions shall be prescribed by rule of the Supreme Court. The actual and necessary expenses of judges of the appellate court incurred in performing their duties shall be paid by the state. The majority of a division shall constitute a quorum and the concurrence of a majority of the division shall be necessary to a decision of the appellate court.

(e) This subsection (e) applies only to the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Judicial Districts.

A person who is an appellate judge on the effective date of the Judicial Redistricting Act of 1997  1 and whose district of residence is changed by that Act may, when next seeking retention in that office, run for retention in either (i) the district in which he or she resides when seeking retention or (ii) any other district that includes a portion of the judicial district in which he or she resided on the day before the effective date of the Judicial Redistricting Act of 1997.

If, as a result of the Judicial Redistricting Act of 1997 or of the retention decisions of the appellate judges affected by that Act, a judicial district has more than 6 appellate judges, a vacancy that occurs in that judicial district shall be assigned to and filled in the judicial district having the fewest appellate judges; if 2 or more judicial districts are tied for the fewest appellate judges, the Secretary of State shall determine by random public selection the district to which that vacancy shall be assigned.