ILLINOIS JUDICIAL ETHICS COMMITTEE PROCEDURES

A. The inquiring judge should call the Committee Administrator, Maureen McClelland (mmcclelland@chicagobar.org), 312/431-1283 or 888/431-1283, who will direct the judge to a facilitator who prepares a statement of facts, a proposed conclusion and recites references in support of that conclusion.

B. The facilitator is advised by the Administrator of a second Committee member who shall be either a judge member (if the facilitator is a lawyer) or a lawyer member (if the facilitator is a judge) and transmits the preliminary opinion to that member. By conference (telephone or in person) the two members decide on a recommendation to the Committee that the opinion be either by letter, "letter opinion", or formal. The presumption is that the opinion would be a "letter opinion". The second member will then prepare a draft opinion which the Administrator will deliver to the Committee members with their regular agenda materials.

C. The Committee shall then vote on the following three issues at its next regular meeting:

1. agreement/disagreement as to the conclusion of the proffered opinion;
2. whether the format of the opinion should be changed, i.e., from letter to formal;
3. suggestions or revisions on the content of the opinion.

The Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee is comprised of members of the Chicago Bar, Illinois State Bar, and Illinois Judges Associations.