East Central Reporter

Adam Niemerg, a state representative for Illinois House District 102, announced that Illinois residents will soon have online access to non-confidential court records. However, juvenile cases will remain confidential to protect children. He made this statement in a Facebook post on March 28.

"Illinoisans will soon be able to view non-confidential court records online for free through a new service from the Illinois Supreme Court," said Niemerg, according to Facebook. "To protect children, juvenile cases will remain confidential and will not be accessible online. Documents that have been marked as private under court rules will also not be available."

According to Niemerg's post, the announcement included a link to a report from NewsChannel20 detailing the new service. Starting April 1, Illinois residents will be able to view documents from the state Supreme Court and five appellate courts for records filed on or after that date. Older records may be added later, and the court has suspended fees for remote access. Additionally, the Supreme Court plans to eventually include county-level court records from across the state in the portal.

Screenshot of State Representative Adam Niemerg's March 28 Facebook post | State Representative Adam Niemerg's Facebook page.

The Illinois Supreme Court has been working towards statewide remote public access to non-confidential court documents since the summer of 2024. A working group led by Appellate Justice Eugene Doherty is overseeing this project. Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis said that making statewide records available is unprecedented and required significant effort.

To access the portal in May, individuals must visit re:SearchIL and sign up for a profile. Currently, the website provides information on how judges, attorneys, their staff, and self-represented litigants can access it. It also notes that cases in categories such as adoption, mental health, juvenile courts, juvenile abuse/neglect, juvenile delinquency, and proposed orders will not be visible to any user on re:SearchIL.

Niemerg has served as the State Representative for Illinois' 102nd District since January 13, 2021. A native of Teutopolis, he has been active in the Illinois General Assembly since then. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University after attending Lake Land College and has professional experience as a senior claims adjuster with Country Financial.