Illinois Supreme Court Rule 315(c)(3): An Appellate Trap for the Unwary

Reprinted with permission from ISBA.

Illinois Supreme Court Rule 315 establishes rules for preparing an appeal from the Illinois appellate court to the Illinois Supreme Court. Ill. Sup. Ct. Rule 315. The rule applies to both civil and criminal appeals. Ill. Sup. Ct. Rule 612(b). Most of the rule’s requirements are straightforward and uncomplicated. It discusses, among other things, the factors the court considers in exercising its discretion to take an appeal, the time periods within which a petition for leave to appeal must be filed, and the format which such a petition must take.