Justice Kilbride was instrumental in the creation of a commission on “Access to Justice” to help increase access for all citizens to the court system. He also supported the “JusticeCorps” initiative that trained volunteers to assist average citizens with civil legal matters when they can’t afford legal representation.
The commission was created to meet the growing demand of increasing numbers of people who lacked legal representation, according to Justice Kilbride. “What we tried to do is bring judges, lawyers, clerks, and other stakeholders in the court process together to figure out how to make our courtrooms more accessible,” said Kilbride. (“State Supreme Court Justice Kilbride Discusses Illinois Judiciary Branch,” February 18, 2019, Knox College Office of Communications.)
“Living up to the ideal of equal justice for all is an ongoing challenge, especially in a state with [many millions of citizens who] represent deep diversity,” said Judge Kilbride. “With the help of fellow justices, courts, staff, and concerned citizens, we have moved this initiative forward in the past couple of years but have more work to do. Illinois courts have the responsibility to guarantee access to the justice system.”
