In October 2019, the reconstituted Illinois Judicial Conference (IJC), comprised of 15 judicial officers and 14 non-judges and chaired by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, unveiled an inaugural 3-year Strategic Agenda for the Illinois Judicial Branch.  Implementation commenced in December 2019.  Eight newly formed Task Forces along with several existing Committees/Commissions began working on 15 strategic initiatives identified as highest priorities for the first year of implementation.  The 15 initiatives span the Branch’s five strategic goals, which are:

• Accessible Justice and Equal Protection under the Law.
• Procedural Fairness, Timeliness, and Operational Efficiency.
• Professionalism and Accountability throughout the Judicial Branch.
• Understanding of and Confidence in the Judicial Branch.
• Sufficient Funding and Effective Use of Judicial Branch Resources.

Despite the disruption and hardships caused by the pandemic, the work of the Task Forces and Committees continues.  In June 2020, during a virtual IJC meeting, two Task Forces presented their completed reports and recommendations to the IJC.  The reports and recommendations were unanimously referred to the Supreme Court for review and appropriate action.

While these are indeed challenging times, it also is an exciting time for the Illinois Judicial Branch.  The many dedicated Task Force members and staff of the Administrative Office of the Courts continue to meet virtually, and are well on their way to accomplishing their respective initiatives amid the pandemic.

The Strategic Agenda and At-a-Glance Operational Plan (showing the list of strategic initiatives and Task Force/existing body assignments) is available online.

For more information, contact Alison Spanner, Director of Strategic Planning at aspanner@IllinoisCourts.gov or Chris Bonjean, Communications Director to the Illinois Supreme Court at 312.793.2323 or cbonjean@illinoiscourts.gov.