Bill Text: IL SB2784 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Enrolled

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Bill Title: Reinserts the provisions of the engrossed bill. Further amends the Circuit Courts Act. Provides that the Supreme Court shall allot all vacancies in the 16 (rather than 15) resident judgeships of the 19th circuit for election from the various subcircuits in numerical order until there is one resident judge to be elected from each subcircuit, except the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th (rather than only the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd) subcircuits. Effective immediately.

Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-3)

Status: (Enrolled) 2026-06-29 - Sent to the Governor [SB2784 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-SB2784-Enrolled.html

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AN ACT concerning courts.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Circuit Courts Act is amended by changing
Sections 2f-2 and 2f-14 as follows:
(705 ILCS 35/2f-2)
Sec. 2f-2. 19th judicial circuit; subcircuits; additional
judges.
(a) Prior to December 5, 2022, the 19th circuit shall be
divided into 6 subcircuits. The subcircuits shall be compact,
contiguous, and substantially equal in population. The General
Assembly by law shall create the subcircuits, using population
data as determined by the 2000 federal census, and shall
determine a numerical order for the 6 subcircuits. That
numerical order shall be the basis for the order in which
resident judgeships are assigned to the subcircuits. The 6
resident judgeships to be assigned that are not added by or
converted from at-large judgeships as provided in this
amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly shall be assigned
to the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th subcircuits, in that
order. The 6 resident judgeships to be assigned that are added
by or converted from at-large judgeships as provided in this
amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly shall be assigned

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to the 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, and 1st subcircuits, in that
order. Once a resident judgeship is assigned to a subcircuit,
it shall continue to be assigned to that subcircuit for all
purposes; provided that a resident judge elected from a
subcircuit seeking retention shall run for retention at large
in the circuit in accordance with Article VI, Section 12(d) of
the Illinois Constitution.
(a-3) On and after December 5, 2022, the 19th circuit is
divided into 12 subcircuits. Beginning in 2031, the General
Assembly shall, in the year following each federal decennial
census, redraw the boundaries of the subcircuits to reflect
the results of the most recent federal decennial census. The
subcircuits shall be compact, contiguous, and substantially
equal in population. Once a judgeship is assigned to a
subcircuit or an at-large judgeship is converted to a resident
judgeship and assigned to a subcircuit, it shall be assigned
to that subcircuit for all purposes; provided that a resident
judge elected from a subcircuit seeking retention shall run
for retention at large in the circuit in accordance with
Article VI, Section 12(d) of the Illinois Constitution. Any
vacancy in a resident judgeship existing on or occurring after
the effective date of a law redrawing the boundaries of the
subcircuits shall be filled by election by a resident of the
redrawn subcircuit. When a vacancy occurs in a resident
judgeship, the resident judgeship shall be allotted by the
Supreme Court under subsection (c) and filled by election.

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(a-5) Of the at-large judgeships of the 19th judicial
circuit, the first 3 that are or become vacant on or after the
effective date of this amendatory Act of the 96th General
Assembly shall become resident judgeships of the 19th judicial
circuit to be allotted by the Supreme Court under subsection
(c) and filled by election, except that the Supreme Court may
fill those judgeships by appointment for any remainder of a
vacated term until the resident judgeships are filled
initially by election. As used in this subsection, a vacancy
does not include the expiration of a term of an at-large judge
who seeks retention in that office at the next term.
(a-10) The 19th judicial circuit shall have 3 additional
resident judgeships to be allotted by the Supreme Court under
subsection (c). One of the additional resident judgeships
shall be filled by election beginning at the 2010 general
election. Two of the additional resident judgeships shall be
filled by election beginning at the 2012 general election.
(a-15) On and after January 7, 2022, each at-large
judgeship of the 19th judicial circuit existing on January 7,
2022 shall be converted to a resident judgeship as it is or
becomes vacant and shall be allotted by the Supreme Court
according to subsection (c) of this Section. It is the intent
of the General Assembly not to create any additional
judgeships in the 19th judicial circuit by this amendatory Act
of the 102nd General Assembly. Notwithstanding any other
provision of law to the contrary, the conversion of at-large

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judgeships to resident judgeships under this subsection shall
not entitle the 19th judicial circuit to any additional
circuit judgeships elected at-large.
(a-20) Any judgeship that became vacant after January 1,
2020 and on June 1, 2020 (the effective date of Public Act
102-380) is held by an individual appointed by the Supreme
Court also shall be filled by election at the 2022 general
election.
(b) Prior to December 5, 2022, the 19th circuit shall have
a total of 12 resident judgeships (6 resident judgeships
existing on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the
96th General Assembly, 3 formerly at-large judgeships as
provided in subsection (a-5), and 3 resident judgeships added
by subsection (a-10)). The number of resident judgeships
allotted to subcircuits of the 19th judicial circuit pursuant
to this Section shall constitute all the resident judgeships
of the 19th judicial circuit.
(c) Prior to January 7, 2022 (the effective date of Public
Act 102-693), the Supreme Court shall allot (i) all vacancies
in resident judgeships of the 19th circuit existing on or
occurring on or after the effective date of this amendatory
Act of the 93rd General Assembly and not filled at the 2004
general election, (ii) the resident judgeships of the 19th
circuit filled at the 2004 general election as those
judgeships thereafter become vacant, (iii) the 3 formerly
at-large judgeships described in subsection (a-5) as they

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become available, (iv) the 3 resident judgeships added by
subsection (a-10), and (v) the additional resident judgeships
provided for by subsection (a-3), for election from the
various subcircuits until there are 2 resident judges to be
elected from each subcircuit. On and after January 7, 2022,
the Supreme Court shall allot all vacancies in the 16 15
resident judgeships of the 19th circuit (the 13 12 resident
judgeships existing on January 7, 2022 and the 3 formerly
at-large judgeships converted under subsection (a-15)) for
election from the various subcircuits created by Public Act
102-693 in numerical order until there is one resident judge
to be elected from each subcircuit, except the 1st, 2nd, and
3rd, and 4th subcircuits which shall have 2 resident judges
each; provided that the first vacancy shall be allotted to the
12th subcircuit, that the second vacancy shall be allotted to
the 3rd subcircuit, that the third vacancy shall be allotted
to the 4th subcircuit, that the fourth vacancy shall be
allotted to the 2nd subcircuit, that the fifth vacancy shall
be allotted to the 1st subcircuit, and the sixth vacancy shall
be allotted to the 3rd subcircuit. Following these allotments,
judicial vacancies shall be allotted in numerical order
starting with the 5th subcircuit. No resident judge of the
19th circuit serving on January 7, 2022 shall be required to
change his or her residency in order to continue serving in
office or to seek retention in office as resident judgeships
are allotted by the Supreme Court in accordance with this

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Section.
(c-5) If 2 or more judgeships in the same subcircuit are to
be filled at the same election under this Section, the State
Board of Elections shall designate those vacancies
alphabetically.
(d) A resident judge elected from a subcircuit shall
continue to reside in that subcircuit as long as he or she
holds that office. A resident judge elected from a subcircuit
after January 1, 2008, must retain residency as a registered
voter in the subcircuit to run for retention from the circuit
at-large thereafter.
(e) Vacancies in resident judgeships of the 19th circuit
shall be filled in the manner provided in Article VI of the
Illinois Constitution.
(Source: P.A. 101-477, eff. 6-1-20; 102-380, eff. 8-13-21;
102-668, eff. 11-15-21; 102-693, eff. 1-7-22; 102-1126, eff.
2-10-23.)
(705 ILCS 35/2f-14)
Sec. 2f-14. 6th judicial circuit; resident judgeships.
(a) The at-large judgeships of the 6th judicial circuit
existing on January 7, 2022 shall be converted to resident
judgeships as provided in this subsection as those judgeships
are or become vacant. When a vacancy occurs in an at-large
judgeship of the 6th judicial circuit, the at-large judgeship
shall be converted to a resident judgeship for either

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Champaign County or Macon County, depending on which of those
2 counties the incumbent at-large circuit judge resided in
when the incumbent judge was elected. The first 3 that become
vacant after January 7, 2022 (the effective date of Public Act
102-693) shall be converted to resident judgeships elected
from Champaign County. The remaining two at-large judgeships
that become vacant shall be converted to resident judgeships
elected from Macon County. Thereafter, persons elected to
those resident judgeships shall be residents of the county
which elects them.
(b) It is the intent of the General Assembly not to create
any additional judgeships in the 6th judicial circuit by
Public Act 102-693 and this amendatory Act of the 102nd
General Assembly. Notwithstanding any other provision of law
to the contrary, the conversion of at-large judgeships to
resident judgeships under subsection (a) of this Section shall
not entitle the 6th judicial circuit to any additional circuit
judgeships elected at-large.
(Source: P.A. 102-693, eff. 1-7-22; 102-1126, eff. 2-10-23.)
Section 10. The Associate Judges Act is amended by adding
Section 2.6 as follows:
(705 ILCS 45/2.6 new)
Sec. 2.6. Additional associate judge; 7th circuit. In
addition to the number of associate judges authorized under

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Sections 2 and 2.1, there shall be one additional associate
judge appointed in the 7th circuit.
Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
becoming law.