In 1990, 13.04% of the Court’s criminal cases had one dissenter. Two dissenter cases were 5.8% and only 1.45% had three. In 1991, one dissenter cases were again the most common divided criminal decision. In 1992, 10.87% were two dissenter cases; only 5.43% had one and 1.07% had three. In 1993, 9.3% had one dissenter, … Continue Reading
In 1990, 79.71% of the Court’s criminal cases were unanimous. That rose to 75.86% in 1991, 82.61% in 1992 and 83.72% in 1993. But then the unanimity rate fell: 61.54% (1994), 59.49% (1995), 68.52% (1996), 60.32% (1997), 69.44% (1998) and only 45.28% in 1999. In 2000, only 27.91% of the Court’s criminal decisions were unanimous. … Continue Reading
Last time, we reviewed the Court’s unanimity rate in civil cases. This time, we’re looking at the data for how the Court’s civil decisions were distributed between one, two and three dissenting votes. In 1990, one and two dissenter cases were 8.99% of the civil docket apiece. Three-dissenter cases accounted for only 3.37%. Two dissenter … Continue Reading
This week and next, we’re looking at the distribution of the Court’s civil and criminal cases – unanimous decisions and one, two and three dissenters (for these purposes, we’re defining a “dissenter” as anyone who votes against the Court’s judgment, regardless of whether he or she signs or joins a written dissent). The unanimity percentage … Continue Reading
Yesterday, we showed that for the most part, the percentage of non-unanimous Appellate Court decisions on the Supreme Court’s docket is about the same on the civil and criminal dockets. Today, we’re asking the companion question – how important is publication at the Appellate Court? Last week, we showed that roughly sixty to eighty percent … Continue Reading
Last week, we reviewed the data for what percentage of the Court’s civil cases had a dissenter or were published below. This week, we’re looking at the same question for the criminal side. Between 1990 and 1994, nearly as many criminal cases as civil cases had a dissenter below – 21.74% (1990), 25.86% (1991), 11.96% … Continue Reading
Yesterday, we showed that the Supreme Court regularly reviews roughly three civil cases which were unanimous decisions at the Appellate Court for every decision which had a dissenter below. Today, we’re looking at a similar question – how often does the Court review unpublished decisions? Between 1990 and 1995, the share of published cases below … Continue Reading
One often hears that in order to successfully petition for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court, a dissenter at the Appellate Court is crucial. But is it true? Today, we’re reviewing the Court’s civil docket. In order to look at the data across the entire thirty years, we calculate the percentage of civil cases … Continue Reading
Last time, we reviewed the 3-year floating average reversal rates in criminal cases for the Divisions of the First District. In this post, we’re looking at the data for the rest of the state: the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Districts of the Appellate Court, and direct appeals from trial court judgments. Between 1992 and … Continue Reading
This week, we’re looking at the reversal rate data for the criminal side of the docket. Once again, we’re using three-year floating average to tamp down wild swings in the data from year to year (at least a bit), and to avoid needless complexity in the math, we count a case as a reversal when … Continue Reading
In Table 1342 below, we report the three-year floating average reversal rates for the Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Appellate Districts for the years 1992 to 1999. The Second District fared best during these years. The Third and Fourth were relatively equal, and the Fifth District fared worst. The Second District had only one spike, … Continue Reading
For the past several weeks, we’ve been reviewing the county by county data for civil and criminal cases at the Supreme Court. This week and next, we’ll be looking at the reversal rates for the Districts and Divisions of the Appellate Court. First up today – Chicago’s First District. Since it’s difficult occasionally to confirm … Continue Reading
Yesterday, we reviewed the areas of law involved in the criminal cases from Cook county – the only county in the First Appellate District – from 1990 to 2004. Today, we’re reviewing the numbers for the years 2005 to 2019. The Court decided seven criminal procedure cases from Cook county in 2005, three cases each … Continue Reading
Last week, we reviewed the areas of law involved in the Supreme Court’s Cook county civil cases. Today and tomorrow, we’re reviewing the criminal data. In 1990, the Court decided a dozen death penalty cases from Cook county, six constitutional and six criminal procedure cases, one habeas corpus case and one involving property crimes (e.g., … Continue Reading
Last time, we reviewed the data on which areas of law were involved in the civil cases originating in Cook County which the Supreme Court decided from 1990 to 2004. This time, we’re looking at the years 2005 to 2019. In 2005, the Supreme Court decided five constitutional law and five government/administrative law cases which … Continue Reading
Last week, we reviewed the data on which counties accounted for the Supreme Court’s death penalty cases between 1990 and the final case before abolition in 2010. This week, we’re looking at the Cook county docket – what areas of law did the Cook county cases fall in? In 1990, the Court decided ten tort … Continue Reading
Last time, we reviewed the data tracking the incidence of Illinois’ death penalty cases between 1990 and 2000. In this post, we’re looking at the final years of Illinois’ death penalty, from 2001 to the Court’s last death penalty case in 2010. Between 1990 and 2000, Cook County dominated the death penalty docket. By 2001, … Continue Reading
As our examination of the geography of the Court’s docket continues, this post and next we’ll be looking at which counties accounted for the Court’s death penalty cases prior to abolition in July 2011. Not surprisingly, Cook County accounted for the vast majority of the death sentences reviewed by the Court: twelve in 1990, six … Continue Reading
In 2005, the Supreme Court decided four cases which originated in the Industrial Commission (renamed, effective January 1, 2005, as the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission. The Court decided six one-off administrative law cases, originating at the Board of Trustees of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund, the state Department of Employment Security, the Secretary of State, … Continue Reading
For the past eight weeks, we’ve been reviewing the data for which Circuit Courts accounted for each Appellate Court District’s Supreme Court cases from 1990 to 2019 (so far). This week, we’re reviewing the data on administrative boards, commissions and agencies. In 1990, the Supreme Court decided three cases which originated at the ARDC Review … Continue Reading
Last time, we reviewed the data on the origin counties for the Supreme Court’s criminal cases from the Fifth Appellate District from 1990 to 2004. Today, we’re looking at the data for the years 2005 to 2019. The Court’s flow of criminal cases from the Fifth District has slowed somewhat in recent years. In 2005, … Continue Reading
Last week, we reviewed the data on which trial courts accounted for the Supreme Court’s civil cases from the Fifth District from 1990 to 2019. This week, we’re reviewing the Court’s Fifth District criminal cases. In 1990, the Court decided three cases from St. Clair, two from Madison county and one each from Jackson, Pope, … Continue Reading
In 2005, the Court decided two civil cases from Franklin county, two from Madison and one from St. Clair and Williamson. In 2006, the Court decided three cases from St. Clair and one each from Jackson, Jefferson, Madison and Perry counties. In 2007, the Court decided one case from Madison county and one from Montgomery. … Continue Reading
This week and next, we’re tracking the county Circuit Courts which accounted for the Supreme Court’s Fifth District civil and criminal cases between 1990 and 2019. We begin with the civil docket. The Fifth District is comprised of thirty-six counties in the southernmost part of Illinois, with a total population according to the 2010 census … Continue Reading
