Members of several judicial and legal groups across Illinois submitted Illinois courts can only function if they’re viewed as doing their jobs in an impartial way.

Two competitive judicial races for circuit court are on the ballot in Champaign County this year, which doesn’t happen often. Illinois elects its circuit judges to six-year terms, after which they run unopposed to be retained and are rarely unseated.

In this week's Legal Issues in the News, the University of Illinois College of Law's Verity Winship compares how the Supreme Court gets its cases with the process for other courts.  

Illinois judges have new rules when it comes to deciding which criminal defendants can be released on bail.