Last week, we reviewed the year-by-year numbers for the Illinois Supreme Court’s history with two new areas of the law: civil cases involving employment law and criminal cases involving sexual offenses. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the sexual offense cases.

Since 1990, fifty-five percent of the criminal sexual offense cases which the Court has agreed to review were won by the prosecution at the Appellate Court. Not surprisingly, reversals of those prosecution wins by the Supreme Court are rare: the reversal rate for prosecution wins in 22.73%.

The Court affirmed one prosecution win in 1991, 2001 and 2003, two in 2004, four in 2005, one in 2009 and 2010, two in 2011 and 2012 and one in 2013 and 2017.

The Court reversed one prosecution win per year in 1997, 1999, 2003, 2010 and 2013.

Since 1990, the Court has reversed exactly half of the defendants’ wins it has reviewed. The Court affirmed one defendant’s win in 1991, two in 2000, one in 2001 and 2012, three in 2014 and one in 2016.

The Court reversed one defendant’s win in 1990, one in 2002, three in 2004, one in 2005 and 2009 and two in 2012.

For the entire period, the Court’s reversal rate in criminal cases involving sexual offenses is only 37.5%. From 1990 to 1995, the Court reversed one of three cases. From 1996 to 2000, the Court reversed two of four. From 2001 to 2005, the Court reversed 46.67% of its cases. From 2006 to 2010, the Court reversed two of four. From 2011 to 2017, the Court reversed only 21.43% of such cases.

Join us back here next Tuesday as we begin looking at two new areas of the law.

Image courtesy of Flickr by CheepShot (no changes).