what court hears illinois criminal appeal
Structure of the Illinois Court System Article VI, the Judicial Article of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, provides for a unified, 3-tiered judiciary - Circuit Court, Appellate Court, and Supreme Court. The Supreme Court. The Illinois Supreme Court is the highest court in the State. Cases are normally channeled to the Supreme Court from the Appellate Court, but in cases where a Circuit Court has imposed a death sentence the law allows direct appeal to the Supreme Court, bypassing the Appellate Court.