On Thursday, September 12, DuPage County Board Member Patty Gustin held her second presentation of the county’s education series. The topic of Thursday’s conversation was the Judicial system. Kenton Skarin, DuPage County Circuit Court Judge, led an informative discussion and explanation on the U.S. Judicial System and how the system runs in DuPage County.
What are the tiers of the Court System?
Judge Skarin walked through an explanation of the court system and how it functions in DuPage County. The court system is composed of 3 tiers; trial court, appellate court, supreme court. Above these three is the U.S. Supreme Court. Although it is unusual for cases to move from trial court to the U.S. Supreme Court, there have been instances of this with Illinois cases.
What is the SAFE-T Act?
Judge Skarin also discussed the SAFE-T Act and how that law is being enforced in Illinois. The SAFE-T Act was signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in January 2021 to reform certain aspects of the justice system.
One of the main aspects Judge Skarin touched on regarding the SAFE-T Act is the elimination of cash bonds, which went into effect in September 2023. This changed the criteria for how criminals can be detained in the state of Illinois, switching the discretion from trial judges to the state legislator.
Judges are committed to fair criminal justice for citizens
Judge Skarin discussed the humanity behind judging and a judge’s duty and responsibility to uphold the rules put in place by their respective legislators. Judge Skarin talked about the perspective he has of his fellow judges through seeing them in their day-to-day lives, celebrating birthdays, at baseball games, and performing as normal citizens,
“As we instead look at courts and say, do I disagree or agree with what they’ve [judges] said, you need to also keep in mind that humanity, and if I could leave you with one thing about courts, that would be a piece that is extremely important that you’re not going to hear from many other places.”
The next of the County’s Educational Series with State’s Attorney Bob Berlin will be held at the Naperville Municipal Center on September 26 from 6-8 p.m.
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