It is a time of significant transitions on the Illinois Supreme Court as Justice Tom Kilbride and Justice Lloyd Karmeier will soon complete distinguished terms on the Court, and Justices David Overstreet and Robert Carter prepare to become the Court’s newest Justices.
We thank Justices Kilbride and Karmeier for their impressive commitment to equal access to justice throughout their tenures on the Court.
Justice Kilbride in particular has stood out for his dedication to a fair and accessible court system, highlighted by his time as Chief Justice when he led the way on launching the Supreme Court’s Commission on Access to Justice and spearheaded the effort that ultimately created the Illinois Armed Forces Legal Aid Network. Those are just two examples of Justice Kilbride’s exemplary dedication to the cause, and we will have more to say about him in the coming months.
Justice Karmeier has also been a champion of access to justice during his time on the Court, highlighted by his leadership as Chief Justice in reconstituting the Illinois Judicial Conference and developing the Court’s groundbreaking new Strategic Agenda for the Illinois Branch.
As we send our thanks and well wishes to Justices Kilbride and Karmeier, we congratulate Justices Overstreet and Carter on their ascension to the Supreme Court. Both have been strong advocates for the importance of pro bono, legal aid, and access to justice and fit right into that fine tradition on the Court. We congratulate P. Scott Neville as well, who has served on the Court since 2018 and was just elected to a full term on the Court.
Some of these Justices come to the Court as Democrats, some as Republicans, but a common thread is that all are strong advocates for upholding our nation’s ideal of access to justice. We thank Chief Justice Burke and all of the Justices for their ongoing leadership and commitment to making our courts fair and accessible for everyone in Illinois.