Designed as supplementary reading in American government or social studies courses, this compilation of articles is intended to help students gain a better understanding of the judiciary's role in the Illinois legal system. The first of three sections contains articles about judges and the court system. The second section examines the criminal justice system, including the grand jury, criminal sentencing, the problem of court backlog, and crowded prisons. The third section is devoted to issues that have recently been debated in the Illinois political system. Articles included are: "Should Judges Be Elected or Appointed?" (Frank Kopecky); "Illinois Judges: Too Much Retention and Too Little Selection" (Paul Lermack); "Illinois Trial Judges: Pragmatic Fact Finders" (Stephen Daniels, Rebecca Wilkin, and James Bowers); "The Illinois Appellate Court: The Wheels of Justice Grind Exceeding Slow" (Janeen Burkholder); "Cameras in the Courtroom: Will Illinois Be Next?" (Mike Strand); "The Grand Jury System" (Ed Nash); "Justice Delayed: Illinois and Its Speedy Trial Act" (Marilyn J. Rice); "Analyzing Class X under the U.S. and Illinois Constitutions" (David F. Schwartz); "An Inequity in Sentencing Law" (James K. Zerkle); "No Room behind Bars" (John F. Boyle); "The Chain Gang and ERA's Bitter End (Diane Ross); "'Scientific Creationism' Challenges Theory of Evolution" (Julie A. Dutton); "Gun Control: Moving to the Home Front" (John J. McCarthy); "New Open Meeting Law: Visions and Revisions" (Dona Gerson); "Remapping: The Decennial Poker Game" (Diane Ross); and "Look-Alike Drugs" (Julie A. Dutton). (LH)