News

Former Supreme Court Justice Anne M. Burke will receive The Honorable George N. Leighton Justice Award, which is given to a person whose career represents the highest standards of the legal profession and is dedicated to public service. The presentation of the award will take place during a special session of the Illinois Supreme Court at 2 p.m. on October 9, 2026, in the Illinois Supreme Court Courtroom, 160 North LaSalle Street, Chicago. A reception hosted by the Illinois State Bar Association will follow the presentation ceremony.

Join our Director John Lupton and History Programs Director Samuel Wheeler at the 8th Annual Abraham Lincoln’s Legal Legacy program on September 10th starting at 9 a.m. in Chicago. This year presentations will highlight Lincoln's legal mind and the way it shaped his leadership of the nation. Check out the details for registration and location information.

The ISCHPC will be celebrating the 250th Anniversary of the American Story with our fellow institutions on the Capitol Complex from 10 - 4 p.m. on Friday July 17th through Saturday July 18th. We will be offering tours of the Illinois Supreme Court building and our Learning Center. The State Archives, Library, Capitol, and Museum will also be offering special activities and exhibits both days. Get the full schedule in the details.

We will be holding a Volunteer Orientation session on Thursday, March 26, at 10:00 am via Zoom. During this program, we will be discussing the project in more detail, showing you how to access the online documents, and providing you with information to write case summaries. We will also be answering any questions you have.

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 National Hellenic Museum in Chicago is hosting a retrial of the Greek figure Odysseus.

The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation begins conservation work on supreme court case files. During the September term of court, the supreme court justices observed the work. Read more in this month's Illinois Courts Connect.

Medical malpractice lawsuits are pretty common today but what was the early history of medmal?

The first Illinois capital city native to serve on the Supreme Court, the Honorable Benjamin K. Miller passed away on Sunday, Feb. 25 at Memorial Hospital in Springfield. He was 87. Justice Miller served on the Supreme Court from 1984-2001 and was Chief Justice from 1991-1993.

Adjudicating Illinois: Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court book available for purchase

A portrait of former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Ben Miller, unveiled Monday in the lobby of the Sangamon County Complex, is just across from a likeness of President Abraham Lincoln.

The Bicentennial Celebration of the Illinois Judiciary was held on October 9, 2018 at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield.

The traveling Bicentennial of Illinois Law Exhibit kicked off at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn on September 21, 2018 with a program and ribbon cutting, featuring Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Thomas.

This year, the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission gave an award for the most outstanding exhibit based on a famous Illinois Attorney, Clarence Darrow.

The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission honored Judge William J. Bauer, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, as the 2016 recipient of the Honorable George N. Leighton Justice Award at a ceremony held on Tuesday, April 26, 2016 at Winston & Strawn in Chicago.

The first in a series of three events was held in Alton, Illinois.

On October 7, 2014, the Illinois Supreme Court rededicated the building after its thorough refurbishing.

This year, the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission gave an award for the most outstanding exhibit on the Illinois court system.

The Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission honored Thomas P. Sullivan, a partner at the Chicago firm of Jenner & Block, as the 20 13 recipient of the George N. Leighton Justice Award at a ceremony held on Monday, November 18 on the I8th Floor of the Michael A. Bilandic Building, 160 N. LaSalle Street, Chicago.

The evening's events in Nauvoo featured a dinner at the Hotel Nauvoo, a presentation, "Behind the Extraditions: Joseph Smith, the Man and the Prophet", by Elder Dalin H. Oaks, and a reception at the Historic Nauvoo Visitor's Center.