Illinois deadline calculator
Pick what happened and the date it happened. You'll see the count, the rule text, and a link to the official source. Confirm every date with the clerk.
Calendar entries are labeled "Estimated deadline" and include the source and a reminder to confirm with the clerk.
How counting works (5 ILCS 70/1.11)
Holidays used: the statutory legal holidays in 205 ILCS 630/17(a), including Lincoln's Birthday, Casimir Pulaski Day, Good Friday, and general election days. Courts can close on other days or stay open on some of these. That's why we show a safest target date that never relies on a weekend or holiday extension.
Case-law research & learning
Search published Illinois Supreme Court and Appellate Court opinions on CourtListener (Free Law Project). Every case shown links to the real opinion. Learning cards quote the opinion itself, and nothing is made up. This shows how courts handled general issues. It doesn't predict your case or tell you what to argue.
Citation check
Paste a citation, for example one you saw in a brief or that an AI tool gave you. We look it up on CourtListener. If no real case comes back, it's marked not verified. For a case found in Research, "Later cases citing this" lists later opinions that cite it and flags possible negative treatment for you to read yourself.
This is not a complete citator. It can't tell you a case is "still good law." Use the steps in Learn research.
Learn legal research: is this case still good law?
1. Read the case itself
Don't rely on a summary, a headnote, or an AI answer. Find the paragraph where the court states its rule and applies it. Note whether the statement was needed for the decision (the holding) or just a side remark (dicta).
2. Check subsequent history
Was the decision appealed? An appellate opinion can be reversed or vacated by the Illinois Supreme Court, or the Supreme Court can deny leave to appeal. Search the case name on CourtListener and on the Illinois Courts opinions page for later decisions in the same case.
3. Look at later cases that cite it
Use "Later cases citing this" in Research. Read the paragraph in each later case where your case is cited. Words like overruled, abrogated, disapproved, declined to follow are warning signs. Only reading the passage tells you whether they refer to your case and your issue.
4. Check whether the rule or statute changed
Courts interpret the law in force at the time. If the legislature amended the statute or the Supreme Court amended a rule, an older case may no longer fit. Check the "Source" or "Amended" notes on ilga.gov and the Supreme Court Rules.
5. Know the weight of authority
Illinois Supreme Court decisions bind every Illinois court. Published Illinois Appellate Court opinions bind circuit courts. When appellate districts disagree, the rules about which one a trial court follows are a research question of their own, so look it up and ask the clerk or a law librarian. Federal court decisions on Illinois law are generally persuasive, not binding.
6. Rule 23 orders (unpublished)
Under Ill. S. Ct. R. 23(e)(1):
An order entered under subpart (b) or (c) of this rule is not precedential except to support contentions of double jeopardy, res judicata, collateral estoppel or law of the case. However, a nonprecedential order entered under subpart (b) of this rule on or after January 1, 2021, may be cited for persuasive purposes.
Orders entered before 2021 generally can't be cited for other purposes.7. Never cite what you haven't read
Courts have sanctioned filers for citing cases that don't exist, including ones invented by AI. Run every citation through Citation check, open the opinion, and read the passage you're relying on.
How to read an opinion (learning card guide)
- Issue: what question the court answered.
- Rule: the legal standard the court applied, quoted.
- What evidence mattered: facts or documents the court pointed to, such as affidavits or proof of service.
- Disposition: affirmed, reversed, or remanded.
Free research help: Illinois Legal Aid Online, your county law library, and courthouse self-help centers.
Illinois statewide court forms
These links go to the official Illinois Courts approved statewide forms. We never host altered copies. Your county may have extra local forms, so ask the circuit clerk.
Free guided form help: Illinois Legal Aid Online Easy Forms. E-filing: eFileIL.
Fee waiver walkthrough (Rule 298), always free
If you can't afford court fees in a civil case, you can ask the judge to waive all or part of them. This walkthrough explains the official form. Only the judge decides.