--- title: "Amy Sholar | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amy-sholar" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-02" --- # Amy Sholar Illinois Appellate Court, District 5 · Appellate Court Justice ## Profile - Court: Illinois Appellate Court, District 5 - State: Illinois - Role: Appellate Court Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-28 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Amy E. Sholar is a judge of the Illinois Fifth District Appellate Court, appointed in 2024, and a former Madison County Circuit Judge with over two decades of legal experience - Appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to the Fifth District Appellate Court on March 1, 2024, following the creation of the seat by the passing of Justice Thomas M. Welch - The Presiding Judge of the Family Division and was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve on the Judicial Inquiry Board in May 2023. - “She will be an outstanding addition to the Fifth District Appellate Court.” Judge Sholar was first appointed to the bench as a Third Circuit Judge on April 30, 2021, and won election as a Resident Circuit Judge for Madison County in 2022 - Opened her own law practice in 2004, later becoming founding partner of Sholar Stephan Law (2016–2021) ### Education - Saint Louis University School of Law — J.D. ### Additional information - including her time as a Circuit Judge in the Third Circuit,” Justice Overstreet said. - held the role of Presiding Judge in the Family Division of the Madison County Circuit Court - Prior to the bench, she handled real estate transactions, probate, criminal defense, juvenile abuse and neglect, and family law cases, and held the role of Guardian ad Litem in some of the most difficult family matters - Sholar belongs to the Illinois Bar Association, Madison County Bar Association, and Alton–Wood River Bar Association (former president and secretary). - She has also served on multiple nonprofit boards and as a trustee for the SIU Board of Trustees ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### recording and broadcasting Scope: statewide Photography, broadcasting, and recording in an Illinois courtroom are permitted only under Supreme Court authority or Rule 44's stated exceptions; participants may not record a remote proceeding unless the court directs it or extended-media coverage is approved. Evidence excerpt: the taking of photographs in the courtroom during sessions of the court or recesses between proceedings and the broadcasting or televising of court proceedings are permitted only to the extent authorized by order of the Supreme Court [Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44, Photography and Video in the Courtroom](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/8db700cb-c17a-421d-8fdc-95ad22b399c9/Rule%2044.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### official record Scope: statewide The official record may be taken stenographically or through a Supreme Court-approved electronic recording system, including approved videoconferencing services. Evidence excerpt: The record of court proceedings may be taken by stenographic means or by an electronic recording system, including video conferencing services, approved by the Supreme Court. [Illinois Supreme Court Rule 46, Official Record of Court Proceedings](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/24ad75b6-a0a0-4a9f-b44e-1cf4daa67820/Rule%2046.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### appellate extended media coverage Scope: statewide All five Illinois Appellate Court districts accept extended-media requests for oral arguments, normally at least seven days in advance, subject to approval and continuing control by the assigned appellate panel. Evidence excerpt: All five districts of the Illinois Appellate Court shall allow requests for extended media coverage of oral arguments in accordance with the provisions of this policy. [Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Illinois Appellate Court](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/bfba1aa7-2408-416d-89b5-88fd3af5a247/Extended%20Media%20Coverage%20Appellate%20Court%20Policy%20No%20Forms.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/2050/Amy-Sholar/justice/) - [Official roster](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/2050/Amy-Sholar/justice/) - [State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts official judicial roster](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/2050/Amy-Sholar/justice/) - [Illinois Supreme Court Rule 44, Photography and Video in the Courtroom](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/8db700cb-c17a-421d-8fdc-95ad22b399c9/Rule%2044.pdf) - [Illinois Supreme Court Rule 46, Official Record of Court Proceedings](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/24ad75b6-a0a0-4a9f-b44e-1cf4daa67820/Rule%2046.pdf) - [Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Illinois Appellate Court](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/bfba1aa7-2408-416d-89b5-88fd3af5a247/Extended%20Media%20Coverage%20Appellate%20Court%20Policy%20No%20Forms.pdf) - [Illinois Supreme Court assigns Hon. Amy Sholar to Fifth District Appellate Court | State of Illinois Office of the Illinois Courts](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/News/1322/Illinois-Supreme-Court-assigns-Hon-Amy-Sholar-to-Fifth-District-Appellate-Court/news-detail) - [Sholar, Amy | State of Illinois Office of the ...](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/2050/Amy-Sholar/justice) - [Official biography source for Amy Sholar](https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/justice/2050/Amy-Sholar/justice/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amy-sholar", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/amy-sholar", "name": "Amy Sholar | KnowJudges", "description": "Amy Sholar, Illinois Appellate Court, District 5. 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Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/8db700cb-c17a-421d-8fdc-95ad22b399c9/Rule%2044.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26. - [Policy for Extended Media Coverage in the Illinois Appellate Court](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-496a290e8b5af5294036b271) — Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory. [Official source](https://ilcourtsaudio.blob.core.windows.net/antilles-resources/resources/bfba1aa7-2408-416d-89b5-88fd3af5a247/Extended%20Media%20Coverage%20Appellate%20Court%20Policy%20No%20Forms.pdf). Collected 2026-07-26.