Fifth District judges serve as faculty

Over 150 judges, including 23 from the Fifth Judicial District, served as faculty at the 2018 Education Conference held in February and April in Lombard. 

The biennial Education Conference included a total of 111 sessions presented during one of two week-long conference sessions, half of the state’s judges attended in February and the other half in April, in order to meet the Supreme Court’s 30 hours of continuing judicial education requirements.

Among the judges who served as faculty from the Fifth Judicial Circuit were the Hon. Mark M. Boie of Jonesboro and the Hon. Mark H. Clarke of Cairo.

“The court appreciates the substantial commitment of time and effort necessary to deliver the Education Conference,” Chief Justice Lloyd A. Karmeier said. 

“We applaud the willingness of our judges to share their expertise and appreciate their collaboration with the Illinois Judicial College Committee on Judicial Education and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts Judicial Education Division on behalf of the Supreme Court.”

Session topics ranged from the more traditional areas of search and seizure, civil motions and family law issues to emerging issues such as opioid addiction, human trafficking, electronic discovery, e-courtrooms and cyber bullying. 

Many sessions focused or touched on the growing number of individuals representing themselves in court without a lawyer.

“On behalf of the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts, I express my deepest gratitude to all of the individuals who contributed to this year’s events,” AOIC director Marcia M. Meis said. 

“Illinois is nationally recognized as a leader in judicial education and your efforts will assure that these achievements continue to grow.”