Western Illinois University will host the 2026 installment of the Illinois Supreme Court’s Riding the Circuit program as justices hear oral arguments in two cases on Wednesday, March 11, beginning at 10 a.m., in the University Union Grand Ballroom.
The cases on the docket are:
* People of the State of Illinois v. Jimmie Marshall
* E.W. etc., et al, v. The Board of Education of East St. Louis School District #189
A moderated question-and-answer session with Ninth Judicial Circuit Court Judges Heidi Benson and Nigel Graham, along with attorney Emily Sutton, will follow the oral arguments.
Since 2008, the Supreme Court has held oral arguments in locations across Illinois to raise awareness of the role courts play in interpreting state law. The practice of holding Supreme Court arguments outside Springfield dates back to an old tradition called “riding the circuit.” It began in medieval England, where judges traveled to local communities so people could see the law at work. The United States adopted the same idea at its founding, requiring Supreme Court
justices to travel so the public would understand and trust the new courts. Illinois followed this practice after becoming a state in 1818, until the 1848 Constitution ended it. Today, traveling Supreme and Appellate Court arguments still serve the same purpose: bringing the judiciary closer to the people.
This program is sponsored by the Illinois Supreme Court, the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, the Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission, and the WIU Foundation.