Legal research for Chicago and Illinois law firms - courts, Rule 23 orders and citations

Short answer: Chicago cases are decided in the Circuit Court of Cook County, with appeals to the First District of the Illinois Appellate Court. Illinois Appellate Court decisions bind circuit courts, and when the districts disagree, a circuit court follows its own district. Since 2021, unpublished Rule 23 orders can be cited as persuasive authority, which widens what you can use.

The courts that matter in Chicago

Illinois also has the Central District (Springfield, Peoria, Urbana, Rock Island) and Southern District (East St. Louis, Benton) for federal cases downstate.

When the appellate districts disagree

Appellate Court decisions bind the circuit courts. When districts conflict, a circuit court follows the district it sits in (State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Yapejian, 152 Ill. 2d 533 (1992)). For a Cook County matter, First District authority comes first; decisions from other districts bind only where the First District hasn't decided otherwise.

Rule 23 orders

Many Illinois Appellate Court decisions are issued as Rule 23 orders rather than published opinions. Under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 23(e)(1), a nonprecedential order entered under Rule 23(b) on or after January 1, 2021 may be cited for persuasive purposes, and a copy must be given to the court and all other counsel. Short summary orders under Rule 23(c) still can't be cited. Rule 23(b) orders aren't binding, but they often have facts close to yours. Orders entered before 2021 generally can't be cited, except for limited purposes such as res judicata.

Illinois citations

Since July 1, 2011, Illinois uses public-domain citations under Supreme Court Rule 6:

• [year] IL [docket number] - a Supreme Court of Illinois opinion
• [year] IL App (1st) [docket number] - an Appellate Court opinion, with the district in parentheses
• [year] IL App (1st) [docket number]-U - a Rule 23 order (the "-U" marks it as unpublished)

Pinpoint cites use paragraph numbers (¶ 25) rather than pages. Older decisions are cited to Ill. 2d, Ill. App. 3d and N.E.2d or N.E.3d.

Statutes

The Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) are on the General Assembly's site, ilga.gov, and are cited by chapter, act and section, for example 735 ILCS 5/2-619 (Code of Civil Procedure).

A fact-first workflow for Chicago matters

Cook County's caseload - personal injury, premises and construction cases, employment, landlord-tenant, municipal liability - is fact-heavy. A fact-first search helps:

1. Describe the facts in plain English. Example: "A pedestrian in Chicago tripped on a raised sidewalk slab about two inches high near a bus stop. The city had received complaints about the slab months earlier."
2. Limit to Illinois, and add Seventh Circuit and Illinois federal decisions if the case is in federal court.
3. Read First District decisions first, then other districts and post-2021 Rule 23 orders.
4. Check treatment before relying on a decision.
5. Read the statute at issue (here, the Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act, 745 ILCS 10) as in force on the relevant date.

LegiMatch returns up to 100 similar decisions for each matter, ranked by a match score that shows how much facts, legal issues, statutes, jurisdiction and recency contributed. Every result is a real decision linked to the court's text, and the tool can't invent citations. It supports your research; it isn't legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Which appellate district covers Chicago?

The First District of the Illinois Appellate Court, which hears appeals from the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Can I cite a Rule 23 order?

Written Rule 23(b) orders entered on or after January 1, 2021 may be cited as persuasive authority under Rule 23(e)(1), with a copy given to the court and other counsel. Summary orders and orders entered before 2021 generally can't be cited except for limited purposes.

What does "-U" mean in an Illinois citation?

It marks an unpublished Rule 23 order: the citation ends with the docket number followed by -U.

Is a Second District decision binding on a Cook County judge?

Yes, unless the First District has decided the issue differently. If the districts conflict, the Cook County judge follows the First District.

Sources

• State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Yapejian, 152 Ill. 2d 533 (1992)
• Illinois Supreme Court Rules 6 and 23 (illinoiscourts.gov)
• Illinois General Assembly, Illinois Compiled Statutes (ilga.gov)
• United States Courts, court locator (uscourts.gov)