Court Opinion

ID: 9709810
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 03:55:16.377499+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:22:51.712139
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE SCHNAKE, dissenting: I must respectfully dissent, because in my view wife’s petition for change of venue should have been granted. At a time in our State when, because of the actions of a faithless few, the integrity of both the judiciary and the legal profession has come under attack, it is incumbent upon the courts to be extrazealous in maintaining the highest standards of probity. While the opinion of the majority correctly states that no reported Illinois case addresses the singular situation found here, I would suggest that the issue has not reached our reviewing courts because of the exercise of common sense by litigants, counsel and judges at the trial level, where maintaining standards of fairness requires only routine administrative handling. To avoid the appearance of judicial impropriety is always of paramount importance, and I am disturbed by a reluctance to quicken the conscience of the courts. Because the mere appearance of prejudice appears to be inherent under the facts here, an actual showing of prejudice should not be required. This kind of contest cannot be governed according to the usual rules of the game. There being no Illinois precedent, the opportunity presented by this case should have been seized to fill that void.