Illinois Court Records

Illinois Court Records which were earlier available only by visiting the counties have now been made available online.

Why Illinois Court Records are Available to the Public

In late 1800, the Illinois State Legislature passed a law named the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. This law was enabled with the last changes in July 1984 and aims to ensure disclosure of court records and other public records to the public.

What Court Records Access Means To You?

The Illinois Freedom of Information Act is a series of laws designed to guarantee that the public is provided access to public records of government bodies at all levels in Illinois. The law was first enacted in 1984, but the latest law was enacted in August 2009 and went into effect on January 1, 2010.

Accountability to the Public

When the legislature enacted the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, it expressively declared that access to information concerning the conduct of the people’s business is a fundamental and necessary right of every person in this state, Illinois_FOIA_procedures. In Illinois, access to government and court records, in particular, has been deemed a fundamental interest in citizenship and has emphasized that maximum disclosure of the conduct of governmental operations [is] to be promoted by the act to anyone who requests the information. By providing such prompt public access to government records, people’s conduct, and any legal information, the Illinois Freedom of Information Act intends to function as an open government to the people it governs and safeguard government accountability.