(a) Delinquent Minors. Appeals from final judgments in delinquent minor proceedings,
except as otherwise specifically provided, shall be governed by the rules applicable to criminal cases.
Rule 660.Appeals in Cases Arising Under the Juvenile Court Act
Article VI. Appeals in Criminal Cases, Post-Conviction Cases, and Juvenile Court Proceedings · Last amended 2001 · Last verified July 20, 2026
In one sentenceRule 660 splits juvenile appeals into two tracks — criminal-appeal rules for delinquency cases, civil-appeal rules for everything else under the Juvenile Court Act — and requires minors to be identified only by initials or a first name and last initial.
Full Text of Ill. S. Ct. R. 660
(b) Other Proceedings. In all other proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act, appeals from final judgments shall be governed by the rules applicable to civil cases.
(c) All Proceedings. In all appeals filed from proceedings under the Juvenile Court Act, the minor(s) shall be identified by first name and last initial or by initials only. The preferred method is first name and last initial. The alternative method of initials only is to be used when, due to an unusual first name or spelling, the preferred method would create a substantial risk of revealing a minor’s identity. The name(s) of the involved minor(s) shall not appear on any documents filed with the Appellate Court or any subsequent court.
Plain-English Summary
An appeal from a delinquency finding follows the criminal-appeal rules. An appeal from any other kind of Juvenile Court Act proceeding follows the civil-appeal rules instead. That split runs through the rest of the juvenile appeal rules that follow.
Paragraph (c) applies across both tracks: a minor involved in any Juvenile Court Act appeal has to be identified by first name and last initial, or, when an unusual name or spelling would risk revealing identity even that way, by initials alone. The minor’s full name can’t appear on anything filed with the Appellate Court or any later court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which rules apply to an appeal from a juvenile delinquency finding?
The rules that apply to criminal appeals.
What about an appeal from a different kind of Juvenile Court Act proceeding?
The civil appeal rules apply instead.
How must a minor be identified in juvenile appeal filings?
By first name and last initial, or by initials only if needed to avoid revealing identity.
When is the initials-only method required instead of first name and last initial?
When an unusual first name or spelling would create a real risk of identifying the minor.
Does the naming rule apply only to delinquency appeals?
No, paragraph (c) covers all appeals arising under the Juvenile Court Act.
Committee Comments
Rule 660 was added in 1975 to clarify the procedure in appeals from determinations under the Juvenile Court Act. It provides simply that appeals from determinations in delinquency proceedings are governed by the rules applicable to appeals in criminal cases, and all other appeals under the Act are governed by the rules governing appeals in civil cases. Paragraph (b) was amended in 1985 to delete references to “minors in need of supervision,” “neglected minors” and “dependent minors,” because of various additions, deletions and changes in the labels which are now applied to minors who may be adjudicated wards in proceedings before the circuit court. Paragraph (c) was added effective October 1, 2001, to help protect the identities of minors. The amendment requires that their first name and last initial, or their initials only, appear on documents filed with the Appellate Court or any subsequent court. The requirement covers the parties’ briefs, motions, and other similar papers. The amendment does not require deletion of names from the trial court record in preparing the record on appeal, nor does it address the means by which the Appellate Court or a subsequent court maintains the confidentiality of documents appearing in the record.
Amendment History
Adopted September 8, 1975, effective October 1, 1975; amended July 1, 1985, effective August 1, 1985; amended October 1, 2001, effective immediately.
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: juvenile appeal rules Illinoisdelinquency appeal procedureJuvenile Court Act appealprotecting minor identity on appeal