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Administrative Law Section
If you are a party to a complaint that has been filed before the Illinois Human Rights Commission, your case is assigned to our Administrative Law Section (or “ALS”). The ALS is a fully developed court system that exists within the government of the State of Illinois. Nevertheless, while the ALS belongs to the state’s executive branch, appearing before an administrative law judge of the ALS is analogous to appearing before a judge in state or federal court. ALS cases are lawsuits, and the decisions made by our administrative law judges have the same force and effect as decisions rendered by the state and federal courts of Illinois. For this reason, it is imperative that litigants who appear before the ALS understand that they are participants in a lawsuit, and that this status requires them to follow the rules and procedures governing practice before our administrative court.
In advance of appearing before an administrative law judge of the ALS for the first time, parties should review both the Illinois Human Rights Act and the Procedural Rules of the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Provided below are additional resources for all parties to review, including: (1) the Standing Order for All Cases Filed Before the Administrative Law Section and (2) the Standing Order for Judicial Settlement Conferences.
A party that is required to appear virtually at an ALS hearing can find Webex access information on this page that will allow that party to attend court remotely before the administrative law judge that has been assigned to that particular ALS case.