Today, we announce a substantial expansion of the Illinois Supreme Court database. Matching the expansion earlier this year of the California Supreme Court database, the data on the Illinois Supreme Court has been expanded to include significantly more variables, as well as all the Court’s cases since January 1, 1990. During that time, the Court
Yesterday, we began reviewing the Court’s county by county distribution of death penalty appeals, beginning in 1994. Today, we will begin by reviewing the data from 2004 through 2010.
The Court decided only two death penalty appeals each year from 2004 through 2007. In 2004, the Court decided one case in Cook and one case
This week, we continue our parallel look at automatic death penalty appeals here and over at our sister blog, the California Supreme Court Review. Last week, we reviewed the Illinois Supreme Court’s year-by-year caseload from 1990 until the death penalty was abolished in this state. This week, we’re going to take a look at
Yesterday, we began our comparative review of the Illinois and California Supreme Court’s experience with direct review of death penalty judgments. Today, we reach the second half of our first analysis – how often did the Illinois Supreme Court reverse death judgments?
In Table 529, we report the reversal rate, divided into three classes –
This week, we begin a dual project on the Illinois Supreme Court Review and the California Supreme Court Review – comparing the two states’ experience with automatic appeals of death penalty verdicts.
Illinois has had a tumultuous recent history with death penalty verdicts. Governor George Ryan declared a moratorium on executions in 1999, citing concern
Yesterday, we began our review of the Court’s experience with recusals in criminal cases. Today, we conclude our review with a look at the most recent years.
First, let’s look at the importance of recusals in criminal cases for the years 2006 through 2011 – how often did recusals end up with the prevailing party
Last week, we tracked the Court’s experience, year by year, with recusals in civil cases. Recusals are potentially a serious issue in Illinois Supreme Court practice, since there’s no provision for replacing recused Justices with pro tem Justices, and there must be four votes for the Court to decide the case.
This week, we turn
Yesterday, we began reviewing the data regarding the Court’s experience with recusals in civil cases, and how often recusals lead to the Court being closely divided in its decision. Today, we proceed to Part 2 of our analysis – the years 2006 through 2017.
In Table 518, we review the number of votes for the
Last week, we reviewed the Court’s experience with certified questions from the Seventh Circuit. This week, we begin our look at a different question: the Court’s history with recusals.
Recusals are particularly important on the Illinois Supreme Court because unlike the other Court we follow, the California Supreme Court, there is no provision for replacing
Yesterday, we looked at the small number of certified appeals the Court has decided since the late 1990s. Since 1997, the Court has heard only eight certified question appeals from the Seventh Circuit – nearly all of them originating in the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Today, we look at a related