Section 790.115  Electronic Appearance

a)         A Commissioner presiding over a case shall have sole discretion in determining whether to require remote or in-person attendance for a court proceeding.  A Commissioner may require a case participant to attend a court proceeding in person for reasons particular to the specific case, including the failure of a case participant to follow applicable standards of decorum. When exercising such discretion, the Commissioner shall inform case participants on the record if they are required to attend a future court proceeding in person.

b)         When a case participant testifies or otherwise participates in a trial or evidentiary hearing remotely, appropriate safeguards must be in place to ensure accurate identification of the case participant and to protect against inappropriate influences, including, but not limited to: persons communicating with the case participant without the Court's knowledge and the case participant's inappropriate access to materials or information (such as documents or the Internet) during the case proceedings. The Commissioner presiding over the matter shall confirm that such safeguards are available and operational prior to permitting the case participant to participate remotely.

c)         All summons and notices for court proceedings that case participants are permitted to attend remotely shall include information necessary for a case participant to appear in person or remotely, including any information necessary for case participants to access the applicable technology platform to appear remotely.

d)         No filing fees shall be assessed for electronic filing or remote appearance.

(Source:  Added at 50 Ill. Reg. 7241, effective May 1, 2026)