The Illinois State Medical Society strongly supports the Belleville News-Democrat’s wise admonition not to let the Madison County court system slip back into “judicial hellhole” status, as the American Tort Reform Association labeled it in 2008.  Add to this the naming of Cook County’s judicial system as another national “hellhole” in 2009 and the fact that earlier this year the Illinois Supreme Court scrapped the state’s medical malpractice reform law that was enacted in 2005, and it appears that Illinois’ legal reputation is headed for disaster.

While the News-Democrat asks, “Judges, are you paying attention?” we can also ask voters the same question: “Voters, are you paying attention?”  Voters in the northern half of Illinois have an opportunity this fall to reject four of the Illinois Supreme Court’s seven justices – three who voted against medical malpractice reform and Justice Robert R. Thomas, who stood on the sidelines and did not vote.  Voters across the southern half of the state took the right step in 2004 when they elected Justice Lloyd Karmeier.  We can only hope that voters up north will follow suit this November.

Sincerely,

Steven M. Malkin, MD, FACP
President, Illinois State Medical Society