Info for lawyers about judges: there's more, but it's still incomplete

There are many reasons why lawyers might want to research judges. They might want to learn how a judge rules or runs the courtroom to gain a tactical advantage in litigation - or to decide whether to file a motion for substitution of judge before any substantive rulings are made. Attorneys seeking to fill a vacancy in one of Illinois' circuit courts might want to learn more about, and get in contact with, the judges who will select the new jurist. But what resources exist for these purposes?

There are familiar legal research tools like Westlaw, Lexis, or Fastcase for reading published opinions. While this might be useful for learning about federal judges, where even trial courts have published opinions, it is less so for learning about state judges.

The Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law publishes a website that contains biographical and professional data for all of the judges sitting on the bench in 2015. It is located at http://illinoisjudges.law.northwestern.edu/. The site has gathered data from several sources including the Illinois Supreme Court website, Sullivan's Judicial Profiles, individual judges' websites, and other sources.

People who want to learn about federal judges have access to more resources, but for those without access to a proprietary legal research provider the information is scattered. The Federal Judicial Center maintains a biographical directory of federal judges, which includes the biographies of judges who have served in the federal judiciary since 1789. It is located at http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/index.html . But it doesn't provide much insight into a judge's style or how a particular judge rules on certain issues.

A relatively new online resource, Ravel Law, available at http://www.ravellaw.com, allows practitioners to search judges, visualizing their opinions and how they relate to other cases and statutes. The for-fee elite service has a wealth of information about how judges rule on cases and motions, which opinions they cite, and how they apply the law. But it is lacking one element that is of interest to Illinois attorneys - information about circuit court judges.

What's still the best source of info about them? Find out in the November Illinois Bar Journal.