(a) Unless filing electronically, in addition to the requirements of the below-listed civil rules, the clerk of the Supreme Court shall accept for filing in Springfield not less than 13 legible copies of petitions for leave to appeal and answers thereto, briefs, and petitions for rehearing and any answer or reply thereto. The clerks of the Appellate Court shall accept for filing not less than 9 legible copies of briefs and petitions for rehearing and any answer or reply thereto. In the Supreme Court, the copies of petitions for rehearing shall be delivered or mailed by first-class mail or delivered by third-party commercial carrier, and a certificate of mailing or delivery shall be supplied to the clerk of the Supreme Court. The service and proof of service requirements contained in Rules 315, 341, and 367 shall apply.
Rule 612.Number of Copies to Be Filed; Procedural Matters Which Are Governed by Civil Appeals Rules .
Article VI. Appeals in Criminal Cases, Post-Conviction Cases, and Juvenile Court Proceedings · Last amended 2017 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceRule 612 sets the paper-copy filing numbers for criminal appeals and imports a long list of civil appellate rules — covering everything from dismissal to record transmission to rehearing — to fill in criminal appeal procedure.
Full Text of Ill. S. Ct. R. 612
(b) The following civil appeals rules apply to criminal appeals insofar as appropriate:
(1) Dismissal of appeals by the trial court: Rule 309.
(2) Appeals to the Supreme Court: Rules 302(b), 302(c), 315, 316, 317, and 318.
(3) Procedure if no verbatim transcript is available and procedure for an agreed statement
of facts: Rules 323(c) and (d).
(4) Preparation and certification of record on appeal by clerk: Rule 324.
(5) Transmission of record on appeal: Rule 325. (If the defendant is represented by court-
appointed counsel, no fees need be paid to the clerk of the trial court.)
(6) Notice of filing: Rule 327.
(7) Amendment of the record on appeal: Rule 329.
(8) Return of any paper or physical components of the record on appeal: Rule 331.
(9) Contents, form, length, number of paper copies, etc., of briefs: Rule 341.
(10) Times for filing and serving briefs: Rule 343.
(11) Briefs amicus curiae: Rule 345.
(12) Inspection of exhibits: Rule 363.
(13) Appeal to wrong court: Rule 365.
(14) Rehearing in reviewing courts: Rule 367.
(15) Issuance, stay, and recall of mandates from reviewing court: Rule 368.
(16) Process in reviewing courts: Rule 370.
(17) Removing records from the reviewing court: Rule 372.
(18) Constructive date of filing documents in reviewing court: Rule 373.
(19) Redaction of personal identifiers for documents filed in courts of review: Rule 364.
Plain-English Summary
Article VI doesn’t restate every procedural detail a criminal appeal needs. Instead, Rule 612(b) borrows directly from the civil appeals rules: dismissal by the trial court, appeals to the Supreme Court, procedure without a verbatim transcript, preparing and transmitting the record, notice of filing, amending the record, brief format and timing, amicus briefs, inspecting exhibits, appeals to the wrong court, rehearing, mandates, and more.
Rule 612(a) handles a narrower question — how many paper copies a criminal appeal needs, absent electronic filing: at least 13 for the Supreme Court and at least 9 for the Appellate Court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does a criminal appeal reference so many civil appeal rules?
Because Article VI doesn’t restate every procedural detail — Rule 612 imports rules like record preparation, briefing format, and rehearing directly from the civil appeals rules.
How many paper copies does the Supreme Court require in a criminal case?
At least 13 legible copies, unless the filing is electronic.
Does the civil brief-format rule apply to criminal appeal briefs?
Yes — Rule 612 makes Rule 341’s content, form, and length requirements apply to criminal appeals too.
Which rule governs redacting personal identifiers in criminal appeal filings?
Rule 364, incorporated through Rule 612.
Do appointed counsel owe clerk fees for the record?
No, no fees are owed to the trial court clerk when the defendant is represented by court-appointed counsel.
Committee Comments
(Revised 1979)
This rule was new in 1967. It cross-refers to all of the civil appeals rules that are applicable to criminal appeals.
The references to an agreed statement of facts, as provided in Rule 323(d), and to the constructive date of filing papers in the reviewing court, as provided in Rule 373, were added in 1969. The reference to Rule 302(b), which deals with by-passing the Appellate Court in appeals in cases in which the public interest requires expeditions determinations, was added in 1971.
In 1971, former paragraph (g), referring to the short record provided by repealed Rule 328, was deleted, and the successive paragraphs relettered. Newly lettered paragraphs (i), (k), and (l) were amended to reflect changes in Rules 342, 343, and 344. See the committee comments to those rules.
Amendment History
Amended October 21, 1969, effective January 1, 1970; amended effective January 1, 1970, and July 1, 1971; amended July 30, 1979, effective October 15, 1979; amended September 22, 1997, effective January 1, 1998; amended May 24, 2006, effective September 1, 2006; amended July 27, 2006, effective September 1, 2006; amended Feb. 6, 2013, eff. immediately; amended Dec. 3, 2015, eff. July 1, 2016; amended June 22, 2017, eff. July 1, 2017.
Source & verification. Rule text, official Committee Comments, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Illinois Supreme Court Rules,
promulgated by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Last verified July 20, 2026.
· Official source
Also known as: criminal appeal brief format Illinoiscivil rules incorporated into criminal appealrule 612 copies filedcriminal appellate procedural rules