Article II. Civil Practice · Part 15. Abolition of Writs · Last amended 2018 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceSection 2-1501 explains that Illinois no longer issues the old common-law writs — execution, mandamus, injunction, habeas corpus, replevin, attachment, and others — and instead enforces judgments and orders through a certified copy issued by the circuit clerk.
Full Text of 735 ILCS 5/2-1501
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The function which was, prior to January 1, 1979, performed by a writ of execution to enforce a judgment or order for the payment of money, or by the writs of mandamus, injunction, prohibition, sequestration, habeas corpus, replevin, ne exeat or attachment, or by the writ of possession in an action of ejectment, or by the writ of restitution in an eviction action, or by the writ of assistance for the possession of real estate, or by a temporary restraining order, shall hereafter be performed by a copy of the order or judgment to be enforced, certified by the clerk of the court which entered the judgment or order. The clerk's certification shall bear a legend substantially as follows: I hereby certify the above to be correct. Dated ..........................
(Seal of Clerk of Circuit Court) ................................ Clerk of the Circuit Court of .............. Illinois. This order is the command of the Circuit Court and violation thereof is subject to the penalty of the law.
Plain-English Summary
Before 1979, Illinois courts enforced judgments and orders through a family of separate writs, each with its own name and its own procedure: execution to collect a money judgment, mandamus to compel an official act, injunction and temporary restraining orders to stop conduct, habeas corpus to test custody, replevin to recover property, attachment to seize assets, and several others reaching back to English common-law practice. Section 2-1501 retires that whole vocabulary. Since January 1, 1979, none of those writs exists as a separate instrument — the function each once performed is carried out instead by a single, uniform device: a certified copy of the order or judgment itself.
That certified copy comes from the clerk of the court that entered the judgment or order, not from a separate writ-issuing process. The clerk attaches a certification reading, in substance, “I hereby certify the above to be correct,” along with a date, the seal of the circuit court, and the clerk’s signature identifying the county. Anyone who needs to show that a judgment or order is authentic and enforceable now points to this certified copy rather than to a writ bearing a Latin name.
The certified copy carries weight of its own: the statute declares that the order is the command of the circuit court and that violating it is subject to the penalty of law. In practice, this section works in the background — every time a certified judgment gets served to collect a money award, back a possession order, or support an injunction, it is this section, not a nineteenth-century writ, that supplies the procedural authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are writs of execution and mandamus still used in Illinois courts?
No. Since January 1, 1979, Section 2-1501 has replaced those writs — along with injunction, prohibition, sequestration, habeas corpus, replevin, ne exeat, attachment, and several possession-related writs — with a single certified copy of the court’s order or judgment.
How does a party enforce a judgment now that writs are gone?
By obtaining a copy of the judgment or order certified by the clerk of the court that entered it. That certified copy, bearing the clerk’s legend and the court’s seal, performs the enforcement function the old writs used to perform.
What must the clerk’s certification say?
Section 2-1501 sets out a legend substantially stating, “I hereby certify the above to be correct,” followed by a date, the seal of the clerk of the circuit court, the clerk’s signature, and identification of the county.
Does this section cover temporary restraining orders too?
Yes. The statute lists temporary restraining orders among the orders whose enforcement now runs through a certified copy rather than a separate writ.
What happens if someone disobeys a certified order?
The statute states that the order is the command of the circuit court and that violating it is subject to the penalty of law, without spelling out a separate procedure — enforcement follows the same channels used for any other court order.
Amendment History
(Source: P.A. 100-173, eff. 1-1-18.)
Source & verification. Section text and amendment history are
reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Compiled Statutes, published by the
Illinois Compiled Statutes, Illinois General Assembly / Legislative Reference Bureau. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as:Illinois writs abolishedwrit of execution Illinoiscertified copy of judgment Illinoishow to enforce a judgment in Illinoiswrit of mandamus Illinois abolishedclerk certification of order Illinois