Judicial College Division | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts

(312) 793-4148 (Chicago Office)

Cyrana Mott, Director, Supreme Court of Illinois Judicial College

The Judicial College Division of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts was established May 1, 2019 to facilitate the operations of the Supreme Court of Illinois Judicial College, including the six Standing Committees and the Board of Trustees.

The Supreme Court of Illinois Judicial College was established January 1, 2016. The Court established the Judicial College as the entity to design a comprehensive, competency-based curriculum to meet the continuing education needs of Illinois judges and Judicial Branch professionals. The Judicial College was established on the foundation of excellence achieved in judicial education and in recognition of the benefit of collaborative multidisciplinary professional education to Judicial Branch professionals and the administration of justice. Soon after the establishment of the Judicial College, the Court appointed seven judges, both trial and appellate, to serve as voting members of the Board of Trustees along with two ex-officio members, a Supreme Court justice and the State Court Administrative Director. By July 1, 2017, approximately 100 judges and Judicial Branch professionals, referred to as justice partners, from key stakeholder professions, were appointed to serve on one of the six Standing Committees of the Judicial College - Committee on Circuit Court Clerk Education (CCCE), Committee on Guardian ad Litem Education (GALE), Committee on Judicial Branch Staff Education (JBSE), Committee on Judicial Education (COJE), Committee on Probation Education (COPE), and the Committee on Trial Court Administrator Education (TCAE). Finally, effective May 1, 2019, with Court approval, the State Court Administrative Director established the Judicial College Division within the Administrative Office to facilitate the mission and purpose of the Illinois Judicial College and its Board of Trustees.

The Judicial College is governed by the Board of Trustees charged with oversight of the six Standing Committees and the affairs of the Judicial College, in accordance with the Bylaws and Standing Committee Educational Standards and Guidelines, adopted by the Court. Staff of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts provide invaluable guidance and support to the six Standing Committees and the Board of Trustees, and in some instances serve as Advisors and ex-officio members. The work of the Judicial College also benefits greatly from the scores of judges and justice partners from across the state who serve on an ad hoc basis, with Board of Trustee approval, on Standing Committee Workgroups, as well as the hundreds of faculty presenters who devote their time and expertise to the delivery of Judicial College courses.  

The Illinois Judicial College meets annually. The Convocation and first Annual Meeting of the Illinois Judicial College was held October 4 – 5, 2017 in Springfield. Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court, the Board of Trustees, staff of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, appointed members of the six Illinois Judicial College Committees, and invited guests, judicial educators from across the United States, were convened to launch the Illinois Judicial College and outline its strategic focus. The facilitated strategic planning discussions that began in the fall of 2017 eventually led to a comprehensive educational assessment of the continuing education and professional development needs of judges and justice partners, the identification of professional competencies for judges and justice partners, the development of comprehensive curricula and competency-based courses, and guiding comprehensive education plans for judges and justice partners.

Notwithstanding years of strategic planning and focus, 2020 presented unanticipated and unprecedented challenges that would have disrupted the provision of continuing education but for the support of the Supreme Court of Illinois and the dedicated efforts of the six Standing Committees and their supportive Workgroups, staff of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, the Board of Trustees and the faculty presenters who contributed to the viability of courses throughout the pandemic. This collaborative and collective effort led to development and delivery of over 100 eLearning courses during the pandemic covering a range of substantive topics from the planned curriculum supplemented with courses specifically related to the pandemic and its impact on court services and operations.

Going forward, the Illinois Judicial College remains committed to the ongoing assessment of educational needs and the development of relevant, competency-based curricula and courses that will promote the fair and effective administration of justice and the professional competencies of Judicial Branch employees.

Supreme Court of Illinois Judicial College Board of Trustees:

ex officio

Cyrana Mott, Director, Illinois Judicial College, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, Judicial College Division

Gloria Evans, Administrative Assistant to the Illinois Judicial College Director, Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, Judicial College Division

For more information visit:

https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/supreme-court-of-illinois-judicial-college